This Time Around
by Javen42
Summary: After four years in Tree Hill High, the gang goes to college. They didn't break things off well in high school. Only fate can bring them together. Old flames might rekindle and new ones may emerge. Will the past just merely be...a past? Pls review. COMPLE
1. Chances Are

Chapter 1: Chances Are...

_Background: Nathan and Hale broke-up during their senior year at Tree Hill High. Meanwhile, Lucas and Peyton gave up on each other. Although they agreed to remain good friends, uneasiness would settle between the two of them when they're together, forcing them to just avoid each other altogether. Brooke seems to be the one most excited about college since it would mean being able to spend more time with her boyfriend who is already a college junior. Meanwhile, Jake remains a single father to sweet little Jenny who is already 4 yrs. old. _

"Hey Nate, wake up man! You only have 30 minutes before your first class starts!" exclaimed Lucas as he stood by the foot of his brother's bed. The two Scott brothers decided to share an apartment near Anne Dale University where they have been granted a basketball scholarship. At this point though, Nathan Scott could care less about going to class. He hasn't slept all night because every time he would close his eyes, a young woman he used to know so well would keep appearing in his mind.

"Can you give me 10 more minutes Luke? I swear I can't get up!" Nathan begged his older brother as he hugged his pillow tightly and kept his eyes shut.

Before Lucas could answer back, his cel. phone rings from the pocket of his jeans. "Hello?" he answered, wondering who could be calling him so early in the morning.

"Lucas Scott?" a hoarse voice answered back from the other line.

"Yeah, who's this?" asked Lucas who was intrigued by the man on the other line.

"It's your coach. I want to see you and your brother in my office in 15 minutes. I 'wanna tell you boys a couple of things before your first practice this afternoon. My office in 15 minutes...don't be late!" said the Ann Dale U basketball team coach as he hung up, not even giving Lucas time to say anything.

Lucas scratches his head as he stares at his phone. _"This is one demanding coach, another Whitey to deal with,"_ he thought. Without wanting to waste any more time, Lucas pulls Nathan's blanket off him. "C'mon Nate, I'm serious we need to go now!" he said with as much urgency as he can. He knows if Nate senses this, there's a greater chance that he'd get out of bed sooner.

Nathan decides not to get up, unfortunately. Instead he just turns his head to his brother and opened his eyes. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Coach just called and he wants to see both of us in his office in 15 minutes...actually make that 12 minutes left." explained Lucas as he looked at his watch.

Nathan let out a sigh as he dragged himself out of bed, "Damn, how many Whitey's are there in this world anyway?"

Lucas just laughs, "Right now, there's two. There's probably more of them outside Anne Dale though!"

Nathan grins for awhile, only to form a sad smile in the end, "Yeah, wish I could say the same thing about a certain girl. I really miss her, Luke."

Lucas understood immediately who his brother was referring too. He, too, had stopped laughing as he remembered someone he imagined he wouldn't be seeing for a very long time. "Trust me man, I feel the same way for a certain girl too. Sometimes, I wish I could go back in time and just change some things. You know, the things that would've made this time a little better for us. I mean I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out for basketball, but there's something missing...probably, something that means a lot more than basketball," Lucas just sighed as he stood still while looking down.

Nathan gave him yet another sad smile, " I know she believes I think otherwise and I can't blame her for that. Truth is, I'm still confused. There's one thing I know for sure, though. There would only be one Haley James."

Lucas suddenly stops fixing his stuff and looks sadly at him. "And there would only be one Peyton Sawyer," he added sadly.

Nathan shook his head and looked at Lucas intently, "And we lost them."

Lucas nodded sadly. Trying to keep their schedule in mind, Lucas starts to get moving again, "Well, let's not lose this one! We might pay big time."

Nathan just nodded as he goes to take a shower.

Meanwhile, Haley is busy cooking a breakfast meal for three. She, Brooke and Peyton are sharing a comfy 2-storey apartment together. Peyton was up early that day. She sat by the breakfast table doing some sketches, which she will present to the school newspaper later that day.

"Hey Peyt, where's Brooke? Is she out of the bathroom yet?" Haley asked as she flipped the pancake from the pan.

Peyton just laughs as she kept her eyes on her drawing, "Yep, she's still there. Last time I check, she can't decide which shade of lipstick to use."

Haley laughs herself, "Oh right, the great lipstick debate. Which shade won?"

Suddenly, Brooke popped into the kitchen. "Actually Hales, it remains to be choice between Champagne and Rose Red," Brooke explained as she held one shade in each hand.

Brooke arrived just in time for the pancakes, which Haley placed on her plate. "Well Brooke, Champagne means sophisticated and Rose Red means seductive. Which one are you?"

Brooke just sighs. "How about starving? Those shades can wait, I need some food!" Brooke exclaims as she takes a seat and dives into the pancakes. "Hey Hales, do we still have some chocolate frosting?" asked Brooke after her first bite of the fluffy stack of pancakes on her plate.

Peyton glanced at her friend for awhile, "Hey, isn't that suppose to be fattening? I thought you 'wanna stay a sexy chick for Ethan."

Brooke shot a playfully hurt look at her best friend, "I do. Chocolate means sexy, right?"

Haley laughed as she enjoyed her own stack of pancakes. Ever since the three girls left Tree Hill High, they have become closer than ever. It was only natural that they decided to spend their college days together. They all go to Anne Dale University, the same school where Brooke's boyfriend, Ethan, is.

After breaking up with their respective high school sweethearts, Peyton and Haley swore that they would start a new life in college. They would stop clinging on to the past and embrace new opportunities abound. In fact, they're even anxious to meet Ethan's college buddies with the hope that some of them would be a dating prospect.

Haley really could not tell how she feels about Nathan up to this day. One thing's for sure, she's determined to bury him into her past and move on. Peyton feels pretty much the same way about Luke. She's given up on him for good and she feels the need to start a whole new chapter in her life.

While her friends are eager to forget the past, Brooke is just excited about the future. She is so thrilled to be going to the same school as Ethan. She's been waiting for this since they got together while she was a senior at Tree Hill High. Ethan was a guy Brooke took her relationship with seriously. Ethan respected her and that meant a lot to Brooke. With Ethan, Peyton and Haley by her side, she couldn't think of a better way to go through college.

"Hey, what time is it?" Peyton suddenly asked as she put down the work she was doing.

Haley glanced at her watch, "Let's see, it's 8:20. We still got some time." She poured herself another glass of orange juice and started flipping through the newspaper.

Soon as she was done with her pancakes, Brooke stood up and started to make her way back to her room. Before she could leave the kitchen though, she suddenly stopped and turned around. Holding up the two lipsticks yet again, she asked, "So what's it 'gonna be? Sophisticated or seductive?"

Haley and Peyton looked at each other smilingly as if mentally coming to an agreement. Turning to look at Brooke, they answered in unison, "Sophisticated!"

Brooke nodded and went back on her way when she stopped on her tracks again and turned around, "Don't you like me to be seductive?"

Peyton just laughs as she looks up at her best friend, "We would still want you to go home after school, you know?"

Brooke plays along and gives a little hurt face, "I happen to be a well-behaved girl, FYI!"

Haley just answers in a motherly voice, "Actually Brooke, we trust you. It's the guys that we don't trust." She winks at Peyton who just laughs.

Brooke jokingly points a finger at both of them, "Very funny, you two!" Suddenly, her cel. phone rang. Brooke was surprised as she tried to guess who would call her so early in the morning. Her face broke into a wide grin when she saw the name "Ethan" blinking on her cel. phone's screen. She cleared her throat and answers the call, "Hi babe, thinking of me so early in the morning?"

Ethan just laughs on the other end of the line, "Actually, I found myself longing for you so early in the morning. Are you ready to go?"

Brooke just laughs, "Yeah, I just need to do my thing in the bathroom then I'm all set. Don't worry. Peyton drives pretty fast. I'll be in school in no time!"

Ethan just chuckles, "Well, you can just do that girl thing of yours and catch up with your girlfriends when they get to school."

A curious expression suddenly appeared on Brooke's face, "What do you mean? They're the only ones going to school?"

Ethan just laughed before he replied, "Well, let's just say you have another ride for the day. Why don't you look out your window?"

Brooke's face was suddenly full of excitement as she looked out the window and saw her boyfriend waving at her from below beside his red Lexus. "I can't believe you're here!" she exclaimed. At the same time, Haley and Peyton rushed to the living room to look outside the windows. They both giggled as they watch an overjoyed Brooke hurrying to get ready for school. "I love you hon, see you in a bit!" With that, she hung up.

Haley and Peyton just watched a widely grinning Brooke hastily put on her lipstick, grab her bag and dash for the door. Upon opening the door, she turned around to her friends, "I'll see you two later. We're still going on a shopping trip later, right?"

Peyton smiled and nodded, "Yeah...well, Hales and I can go shopping on our own if you and Ethan have plans together for later."

Haley nodded in agreement, "Yeah Brooke, it's fine."

Brooke smiled gratefully, "You guys, I can never abandon my two favorite girlfriends for any guy...especially during shopping trips. Besides, Ethan can tag along, right?"

Haley just looks quizzically at her, "Yeah, but what's he 'gonna do in a girls' shopping trip?"

Brooke just laughed, "Well, they say guys are the authority on what looks good on women! I'll see you both in school!" With that, she left.

Haley and Peyton both watched Brooke meet Ethan from the window. Brooke ran towards Ethan as soon as she closed the door. She put her arms around him and they kissed briefly before Ethan opened the passenger side for her. Haley and Peyton both sighed at the sight of a blissfully happy Brooke. After a moment of silence, Peyton finally spoke up, "You know, there was a time when we both had that."

Haley just smiled sadly and nodded, "Yeah and then, it just faded away."

Peyton nodded in agreement. After another moment of silence, Peyton turned to Haley, "Hales?"

Haley looked as if she was engaged in a little daydream, but she turned to look at Peyton anyways. "Yeah?" she replied.

"Are you still mad at him?" Peyton asked with a serious face.

Haley sighed before she replied, "I honestly don't know, Peyt...I really don't know. How about you? How do you feel about him?"

Peyton looks out and sighs. She shook her head and looked back at Haley with a sly smile, "I guess...I don't know too!"

They both laughed and looked back out into the window. It was quite a sunny morning. The streets were bustling with people. Some were grabbing a bite to eat at the adorable little café in the corner while others appeared to be in a rush to get somewhere. Keeping her eyes outside, Peyton spoke again, "Hales?"

Not tearing her eyes from the view either, Haley responded softly, "Yeah?"

Peyton turned towards her, "Did you..." She was quite hesitant to continue but decided to go ahead anyway, "Did you ever regret being with him?"

Haley shook her head as she smiled sadly. Looking at Peyton straight in the eye, "I spent some of the best days of my high school life with him, Peyt. I'll never regret being happy, even if it was just for a short time."

Peyton gave her a sly smile as she nodded, "I guess so." Glancing at the clock on the wall, she turned her back on the window, "Well, looks like we 'gotta get going. We might get late."

Haley nodded, "Yeah, you're right." They both walked back to their rooms when suddenly, Haley stopped on her tracks and turned towards her friend, "Peyt?"

Peyton herself stopped and turned, "Yeah?"

Hesitantly frowning at first, Haley eventually found herself blurting out something that's been bugging her mind the moment she woke up, "Do you they're 'gonna be there?"

Peyton let out a soft laugh, "Well if they are, we better stay together!"

Haley laughed herself, "Strength in numbers...got it!" With that, the girls both headed to their rooms and got ready to begin their first day in college.


	2. A Glimpse of What Lies Ahead

Chapter 2: A Glimpse of What Lies Ahead

As the two got inside the Lexus, Brooke leaned over to Ethan and gave him a sweet, intimate kiss. Ethan looked delighted by the surprise, "Good morning to you too!"

Brooke just giggled, "I can't believe I'm here...with you. Can this morning ever get any better?"

Ethan just laughed as he turned on the ignition and pulled out of the driveway, "Well, my soccer practice doesn't start until 10:00 so I decided to sit-in your biology class this morning."

Brooke screamed in delight as she beamed at her very sweet boyfriend, "Ethan, you don't have to do that!"

Ethan just smiled, "I know baby, but I want to. Besides, you never know how boring biology can get."

Brooke smiled at him gratefully, "Thank you for the thoughtfulness, baby. But actually, I 'kinda like biology."

Ethan glanced at her sideways, "Yeah?"

Brooke nodded with devilish eyes, "Uhuh, I get to learn more about the mysteries of the human body."

Ethan just laughs. He felt like the luckiest man in the world with Brooke by his side. Truth is, he's waited for this time to come ever since he and Brooke became a couple. Although Tree Hill High was quite far from Anne Dale U, Ethan would take a road trip to said high school everyday just to see his girlfriend. Brooke thought it was the sweetest thing a guy had ever done for her. She also realized how committed Ethan was about their relationship, which made Brooke feel so lucky. Surely, Ethan could never be happier knowing that he didn't have to drive a couple of miles to see his girlfriend now. He was also delighted by the surprise he's about to tell Brooke. He suddenly opened the compartment, "Do you mind taking look at those pictures, babe?"

Brooke gladly took the pictures. They were pictures of a huge house by the lake. She looked at them intently, "These are gorgeous babe."

Keeping his eyes on the road, he asked, "You like it?"

Brooke turned to him and smiled, "Yeah, I love it!"

Ethan smiled, "Good coz' we're going there."

Brooke smiled intriguingly at him, "Really...when?"

Ethan replied as he made a right turn, "This weekend. It's my family's ranch actually. Will you come away with me?"

Brooke smiled at him sweetly, "I would love to!" She then leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Brooke felt a rush of excitement come over her at that moment. _"A weekend...with Ethan...alone!"_ she smilingly thought as she looked out the window. She was trying so hard not to look overexcited, although she soon realized it was hard to conceal her happiness. "Oh Ethan, this is 'gonna be perfect! There's a lot we can do in one glorious weekend!"

Ethan briefly looked to Brooke's way as they encountered a red traffic light, "Like what, babe?"

With dreamy eyes, Brooke excitedly turned toward her boyfriend's direction and began to enumerate her plans, "Let's see, cuddle, kiss, make-out..." Brooke's eyes suddenly grew with intense excitement, "We could also go skinny dipping at night!"

Without taking his eyes off the road, Ethan reached for Brooke's hand and kissed it, "That sounds like a great plan, but I think skinny dipping would have to wait another time."

Brooke's excitement suddenly went one notch down, "How come?"

Ethan just smiled, "Well, my mom's 'gonna be there with the rest of the family. She's been dying to meet you and so are my sisters!"

Brooke tried to give him a sweet smile, "Oh, we're meeting the whole family. That's great babe, I can't wait!" Inside, though, she suddenly felt nervous. _"What will his mom think of me? Will his sisters like me?"_ she silently asked herself as she drummed her fingers on her lap.

Ethan looked over to her after another red light and noticed her sudden silence, "Brooke? What's wrong, babe?"

Brooke looked to her boyfriend and smiled sweetly, "Nothing Ethan, absolutely nothing."

Ethan put a hand on her drumming fingers, "Baby, I know there's something on your mind. What's up?"

Brooke sighed, "I'm...I'm just not sure how I'm 'gonna do in this...thing. You know, your mom and your sisters....it's just a little surreal, overwhelming actually."

The light went green and Ethan just laughed as he continued to drive, "Relax babe, they'll like you. In fact, they think you're a great person already. I've told them quite a lot about you."

Brooke just smiled gratefully and nodded, "Ok baby, I trust you. Now, all I have to worry about is how to make-out with you without being caught by the rest of your family!"

Ethan just laughed, "I can help you plan that!"

Coach Fowler is a very punctual man. Lucas and Nathan arrived in his office 5 minutes earlier and already, he was seated on his desk. He's bald, just like Whitey and seemed just as mean. The two brothers suddenly realized they would be training much harder than they ever did back in Tree Hill.

"Good to see you boys early, sit down," greeted Coach Fowler as he motioned for the boys to take a seat on his brown leather couch.

The two boys nodded and sat beside each other. As they did, they couldn't help but let their eyes roam around the coach's office. Hanging on the walls were pictures of the basketball team, both old and new. On top of his shelf lay an extensive display of trophies. The Anne Dale University Basketball Team has always been unbeatable as far as anyone can remember. This didn't overwhelm Nathan and Lucas since they had the same legacy with the Ravens. Coach Fowler noticed their eyes roaming around his office, "I see you boys are getting yourselves acquainted. I suppose you realize the legacy my boys had developed over the years."

The two remained silent and just nodded politely at the old man. Nathan was so impressed by the number of trophies the team has won. His eyes continued to travel around the room until it landed on Coach Fowler's desk. There were a series of pictures of 2 children, a boy and a girl. To the far right was a picture of the Fowler family. The grumpy-looking coach was smiling in the picture with his arms around his wife while the two children were in front of them. Nathan suddenly felt a yearning in his heart, he wished so bad that it would be him and his children one day on that picture with a woman he had been dying to see ever since catching a glimpse of her during their graduation day. His thoughts were interrupted when Coach Fowler began to speak, "So, you are the infamous Scott brothers. I sure hope you no longer go on, punching each other on the court in the middle of a game!"

Luke and Nathan both burst into laughter as they both shook their heads vigilantly. "Actually coach, my little brother here and I have come to better terms. We've been civilized around each other for quite sometime now," Lucas explained as his brother nodded in agreement.

"If it's any assurance coach, it's actually our father that we are now at war with," Nathan added, which made the coach laugh.

"Ah Dan Scott, your father was a good player. I never expected he'd be a screw up when it comes to raising children!" commented the old man as he took some papers from his desk drawer.

Nathan just shrugged and Lucas just smiled. Indeed, their relationship has brothers had changed a lot ever since they first learned that they were both of Scott blood.

"So, you two are going to be a part of my team now. Let me ask you both a question. Why do you think Anne Dale U was able to win trophy after trophy to this day?"

Nathan looked once more at the long display of trophies in the office, "I suppose you have really good players, coach."

Luke nodded and gave another answer, "Yeah, that and good plays."

Coach Fowler beamed at them, "Well boys, that's very nice of you two to say, but that's not what keeps us winning."

The two just looked at him in confusion. The coach just laughed as he saw their puzzled faces, "You forgot teamwork, boys...that and a strong support."

The two immediately nodded. "Of course, team work," commented Lucas as he smiled at his younger brother who just nodded.

The coach's face suddenly became serious, "Now that you're part of my team, you'll play my play and follow my rules. Don't try to be star players! I want both of you to be team players. Is that understood?"

The two nodded with equally serious faces, "Yes sir." With that, the coach gestured that they could leave. The boys then stood up and left.

As soon as they were out of the office, Nathan let out a sigh, "Man, he's just like Whitey!"

Lucas just laughed, "Tell me about it, I suppose some things don't change."

Nathan nodded as they reached their lockers, which was just beside each other. "Hey Luke, what's your first class?"

Luke takes out a piece of paper from his locker, "Hmm...let's see, I got biology....damn!"

Nathan just laughed, "Well, I got geometry!"

Lucas turned to his brother and smiled, "Hey maybe we can exchange class. They probably don't know which Scott brother is who yet anyway!"

Nathan thought about it for a second but shook his head in the end, "Nah, I think I'll stay with this class." Ever since he broke up with Haley, Nathan tried to surround himself with things that would remind him of her. He didn't know why, but it just made him feel a little better. When Haley stopped tutoring him, Nathan found himself studying math subjects more intently. Somehow, it made him feel like he still shares a bond with a woman he wanted another chance with.

Lucas interrupted his brother's thoughts as he closed his locker door shut, "Well Nate, I'll catch 'ya later." Nathan just nodded as his brother turned around and made his way to class.

Nathan hurriedly got his books and closed his own locker shut. He was about to make his way to class himself when something made him stop on his tracks. Standing by the parking lot was a girl he found himself staring at. Her back was turned to him so he could not see her face. She had a straight flowing brown hair that seemed to fall just a couple of inches above her tiny waist. _"Could it be?"_ he wondered. The thought of Haley being in the same school gave him a glimmer of hope. He would have wanted nothing but to wait and see who the girl really is, but he's running late for class. He sighed as he went on his way...

Haley just waited patiently by the parking lot as Peyton gathered her stuff from the back of her car. As Peyton walked towards her, Haley just smiled, "Got everything you need?"

Peyton nodded, "Yeah, I think so. I'm a little nervous about my meeting with the school newspaper, Hales. What if they don't like my drawing?"

Haley just looked at her friend with disbelief, "There's no one who doesn't like your drawing, Peyt. They'll love it, trust me!"

Together, they hurriedly walked into the school's main building where they were going to have their first classes. "Hey Peyt, I'm 'gonna stop by the dean's office for awhile. Catch 'ya later?"

Peyton just nodded, "Yeah, see 'ya!" Peyton hurriedly walked to her first class. Realizing her classroom was at the very end of the hallway, she quickly passed through one classroom to another.

Inside his classroom, Lucas was getting quite bored with his subject. Since old Ms. Wringley just kept talking about her academic accomplishments, Lucas allowed his eyes to wander around the room and into the small window by the door. Suddenly, he caught sight of a familiar face. She didn't seem to notice him and appeared to be rushing off to somewhere. He was just stunned as he saw her golden curls bouncing around her head as she hurriedly passed through. Soon, she disappeared. In his mind, he found himself making a desperate wish, _"Please tell me that was her."_

A/N: I'm so thrilled about the reviews I received for the first chapter. Thank you so much and hope you like the rest! =)


	3. Don't Tell

Chapter 3: Don't Tell...

Ethan and Brooke decided to stop by a nearby Starbucks for coffee before they proceeded to school. Once Ethan has parked his car, Brooke jumped out and hurriedly made her way to main building. "Babe, catch 'ya later. I'm late for class!" she said as she kept walking towards the building.

Ethan ran after her, "Brooke!"

Brooke suddenly turned around and faced her boyfriend who was holding up a pink bag in his hand. Brooke realized she forgot her handbag in the car and ran over to Ethan. As she reached him, she grabbed the bag and gave him a quick kiss, "Thanks babe."

Ethan just smiled as he nodded, "Are you sure you don't want me there?"

Brooke smiled and looked over her shoulder, "No, I want you to go to your soccer practice and think about me." With that, she hurriedly rushed to class.

Ms Wringley had started to give the students an overview of her class. "Aside from lectures in this classroom, we would also be doing some laboratory work every Wednesdays," she explained to her students who were clearly not enjoying her class.

Lucas just looked down at his desk. He couldn't take Peyton's image out of his head. He kept wishing for his biology class to end. He planned to walk around the hallway and look for the girl who passed by his classroom earlier. He needed to know if it was really her. What is isn't sure, though, is how he would react upon seeing her. He really didn't know what to say. He also realized that perhaps Peyton didn't want to see him. _"I wish there was another way of figuring out if that was really her, "_he sadly thought as he drummed his fingers on his desk in boredom.

Brooke peeked from the glass window on the classroom door. She caught sight of the middle-age woman addressing the class. _"Damn, I 'gotta get in without being noticed,"_ she thought as she looked for an opportunity to sneak in. As soon as the teacher turned to scribble something on the blackboard, Brooke realized this was her chance. She immediately but carefully opened the door and rushed to the first empty seat she saw. It was beside a guy with a dirty blond hair. _"His hair looks just like..."_ she thought as she sat down and smiled politely at the teacher who faced the class again. The guy beside him didn't seem to notice her sneaking in. Brooke wanted to take a glance at him, but realized it wouldn't be the right time since their professor was looking at their direction.

Something inside her told her to talk to him. Brooke kept her eyes to the front of the class as she spoke to the guy beside her, "So, how long has she been up there?"

Without looking up, Lucas replied, "A couple of minutes, I think. I could care less really, I've been dying to get 'outta here for awhile now."

Brooke just laughed. "Yeah, she's making me wish I never stepped in. By the way I'm..." She turned toward the guy's direction and was about to introduce herself when she suddenly realized who she's been sitting next to all along. "Oh my God...Lucas!" she exclaimed. She didn't realize she spoke out pretty loud, catching the attention of Ms Wringley.

"Is there a problem there?" the biology professor asked in annoyance.

Brooke gave her a sweet smile as she shook her head, "Umm, nothing...we were just..."

Lucas suddenly finished her sentence, "Getting acquainted." He turned to her who smiled gratefully at him. _"I guess that really was Peyton,"_ he thought.

Nathan was surprised to find himself not having as much difficulty in geometry as he did in high school. _"I guess I owe this to Haley, "_he thought as he tried to listen to the class lecture. At the same time, however, he couldn't help but let his mind drift off back in time. He remembered wanting so bad for his class period to end, then he would run out into the hallway to meet up with Haley. She would be by her lockers at that time. He would come up to her and she would have a wide grin on her face upon seeing him She would then wrap her arms around his neck and give him a long, passionate kiss. Nathan remembered feeling like the luckiest man alive every time she does that.

At that moment, Nathan found himself longing for someone. _"I really wish that was her...."_he silently hoped. He planned to make things right between them. Suddenly, he realized she just might not take him back. After all, he caused her so much pain. _"I've been a real jerk...just like my dad,"_ he sadly thought as he let out a sigh.

Finally, his class was over. His thoughts were still running deep as he gathered his stuff and stepped out of the classroom. As much as he was hoping to see Haley around the campus, he couldn't help but worry about how she was going to react upon seeing him. _"She's probably 'gonna glare at me and tell me to forget that we've ever meant anything to each other,"_ he thought sadly as he continued to walk down the hallway. He was actually taking his next class with his brother. He hurriedly made his way to class as his mind continued to drift elsewhere.

The thought of running into Haley made him quite anxious. He kept his head down as he walked along the crowded hallway. He didn't think he could face her. He wants to see her, but he doesn't want her to see him. _"If ever she's here, I guess I'll just be the lover from afar,"_ he sadly told himself as he continued to make his way with his big duffel bag swinging from his arms as he walked.

Suddenly, he bumped into someone. It was a girl with curly blond hair and she was looking pretty mad at him. He could feel the girl was about to turn around and he planned to just mutter out a sorry and not even bother to turn towards her. Then, he heard the girl calling out to him, "Hey, watch...Nathan?"

The voice sounded very familiar and Nathan completely stopped on his tracks. He turned around and saw the girl he bumped into was another ex-girlfriend of his. "Peyton, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking," he immediately apologized.

Peyton just laughed, "Some things never change, you can still be so insensitve."

Nathan found himself laughing too, "Well, I guess you can say that. I guess you go here too?"

Peyton smiled and nodded, "Yeah and so does...." Peyton suddenly felt unsure about whether to continue the sentence or not. In the end, she decided to blurt out the name anyway, "Haley, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring her up."

Nathan understood and smiled, "That's alright. Just do me a favor Peyt, don't tell her I'm here. I still don't know how to face her, you know?"

Peyton nodded understandingly at him, "Well, I'm pretty sure Lucas is here since...you're here. So, I would have to ask you to do the same for me."

Nathan hated the thought of hiding Peyton's presence from his brother, but he knew better than to interfere with Lucas and Peyton's problems. After all, he's got problems with Haley himself. Nathan just nodded, "I won't tell him. I guess I'll see you around."

Peyton smiled gratefully and started to walk her way, "Yeah, it's good to see you Nathan."

Nathan smiled warmly at her, "Yeah, you too Peyt." With that, the two headed their own ways. Nathan immediately felt a mix of emotions going through him. _"She's here...what am I 'gonna do now?"_ he kept asking himself as he made his way to class.

Meanwhile, a smile creeped onto Peyton's face as she walked to her next class. _"He's here!"_ she happily thought. Ever since she graduated from Tree Hill High, she promised herself that she would never allow Lucas to see her. It's not that she doesn't want him in her life. It's just that, everytime he looks into her eyes, Lucas makes her feel so vulnerable and she's not sure she can handle that....

_A/N: Thank you so much for the continued reviews that I've been getting. I'm still developing this story in my head...and I just hope you'll like what I'll come up with for the succeeding chapters. Again, thank you so much! =)_


	4. Broken Secrecy

Chapter 4: Broken Secrecy

As Nathan reached the classroom, he found an empty seat next to his brother. Lucas just acknowledged him with a nod and he nodded back as he settled into the seat. Once he was seated, Lucas turned to him, "You'll never guess who else is in my biology class."

Nathan just tried to look curious at his brother, "Who?" Since he knows that two people who mean a lot to both of them are also studying in Anne Dale U, nothing else could come as a surprise to him now. What he worryingly hoped for just came true.

Lucas chuckled a little, "Brooke Davis and as usual, she was late!"

Nathan laughed, quite hoping that it was Peyton so he didn't have to hide the secret from him. "Yeah, looks like Brooke will never change," he smilingly commented.

Lucas' eyes were suddenly filled with hope, "It also means she's here, Nate. I want to see her."

Nathan didn't know how to respond so he just smiled and nodded.

Peyton decided to drop by her locker before she headed to her next class. As she approached the lockers, she noticed Haley fixing her stuff. "Hey Hales," she greeted as she came near.

Haley looked up and smiled, "Hey Peyt, how's your day doing so far?"

Peyton just chuckled, "Well, I haven't slept through any of my classes yet so that's quite an accomplishment!"

Haley just laughed, "I know what you mean, I can't wait to get 'outta here."

Peyton nodded, "Me too. Hey, maybe we can grab a sundae later. I've been craving for it lately."

Haley nodded smilingly at her friend, "Alright, sundae sounds great. I could use one too."

With that, the two girls waved at each other and were about to go separate ways. Suddenly, Peyton felt the urge to confess to Haley. "Hales?" she began.

Haley still looked like she was such in a good mood. Casually, she turned to her friend, "Yeah?"

Seeing Haley happy, Peyton didn't want to ruin her mood, "Um, what's your elective?"

Haley looked at her schedule, "Let me see, I got French. You?"

Peyton smiled, "I got literature. Too bad, I thought we could take the class together."

Haley just laughed, "There's 'gonna be a lot of semesters for that, Peyt. Remember, we got a rendezvous for sundae later!"

Peyton just nodded as she waved at her friend who has already began walking away, "Alright, see 'ya!"

Peyton just kept walking when Brooke suddenly appeared from nowhere and put her arm around her shoulders, "What's up best friend?"

Peyton just laughed," I should be asking you that Brooke, how did your morning with Ethan go?"

Brooke giggled as she remembered the wonderful time she had with her boyfriend that morning, "It certainly was one of my best mornings. By the way, he's taking me to their ranch to meet his family this weekend. Peyt, I'm a little nervous."

Peyton just laughed, "You shouldn't be, you'll be great Brooke. I bet they'll love you, just don't show them your cheer leader captain self. Okay?"

Brooke just laughed as she playfully punched her friend on the arm, "FYI, I've been the nicest cheer leader in Tree Hill High history! Oh yeah, I've got another FYI for you. Lucas Scott is roaming around the campus, he's even in my biology class."

Peyton just laughed, "I know Brooke, I ran into Nathan."

Brooke's eyes widened, "The Scott brothers are here, did you tell Haley?"

Peyton sighed as she shook her head, "I promised Nathan that I won't."

Brooke just rolled her eyes, "C'mon Peyt, you're supposed to have greater loyalty for your best friend than your ex, ex boyfriend!"

Peyton just nodded, "I do Brooke, but I don't know how Haley would take it. She was happy when we met up and I thought telling her that Nate was around would ruin it."

Brooke just nodded. She saw how hurt Haley was after her break-up with Nathan. Brooke tried desperately to cheer her friend up at that time. Haley would cry a lot and all Brooke could do was smooth her hair and tell her she would be meeting a lot of guys in college who are much better than Nathan. Haley would just nod at her, but Brooke could tell that Haley was clearly not interested in seeing anyone else. "I still think they're bound to find each other anyhow, "she commented as they walked together.

Peyton just nodded, "Yeah...well, let's just let them find each other."

Brooke just sighed, "Will the same go for you?"

Peyton just sighed, "I don't know, Brooke. I guess I'll just let fate take its course."

Brooke playfully pouted at her friend, "Well, don't get all Days of Our Lives on me. I better get 'outta here before you start delivering cheesier lines! Catch 'ya later!"

Peyton just laughed and waved, "Later Brooke!"

On the other side of the school, Haley was making her way towards her next class when she heard someone call her. "Hales?" the guys called.

Haley knew the voice very well and turned excitedly, "Jake?"

Jake just nodded and smiled, "Yeah, how 'ya been? You go here too?"

Haley just nodded, "Yeah. That's great, we could hang out sometime! How's Jenny?"

Jake smiled proudly, "She's four and she runs around my apartment a lot! Actually, I'm having basketball practice later and I'm afraid to leave her by herself since she might suddenly go off somewhere."

Haley understood and nodded, "Well, I can hang with her if you want? Then we can all go for sundae with Peyton and Brooke later."

Jake smiled at her gratefully, "Sounds good, Jenny loves sundaes! I owe you Hales, thanks so much!"

Haley just nodded and smiled, "Sure, it's just like old times!"

Jake just nodded. His expression suddenly changed as he remembered something, "Speaking of old times...." Jake looks at her quite uneasily, unsure if he should go on. He decided to go on anyway, "Nathan will be there too, Hales."

Haley was suddenly surprised. Although she actually prepared herself for this kind of situation, she never thought it would actually happen. After a brief moment of silence, she just blurted out, "He goes here too?"

Jake nodded while uneasily scratching his head, "Yeah. Look, I'll understand if you change your mind about staying with Jenny, Hales."

Haley quickly beamed at him, "Don't be silly. Besides, I have to face him sooner or later. I'll be there around 3."

Jake smiled at her even more gratefully, "That's great, practice starts by 3 anyway. Thank you so much Hales!"

With that, they waved good-bye to each other and went their ways. Haley just kept walking when she heard Jake call out to her again. "Hales?" Jake began.

Haley just turned to look at him in response, "Yeah?"

Jake just let out a sly smile, "I just wanted to say...if only I can make you invisible in the gym, you know...I wouldn't have to put you in an awkward position."

Haley just laughed, "Jake Jagelski, don't go dramatic on me now. I might change my mind."

Jake just nodded and waved good-bye at her once more. Haley waved back and continued on her way.

Haley couldn't explain how she felt upon learning that Nathan studies in Anne Dale U as well. A part of her can't forget the heartbreaking past while another part of her actually wants to see him again. She usually would let the former part take over her. Besides, she has no idea how normal things can ever be with Nathan again. She just wanted to keep her distance. This way, she can avoid getting hurt again...

_A/N: I just feel lucky to have very supportive readers! Thank you so much! =)_


	5. There You Were

Chapter 5: There You Were

Their first day in college was almost over. Almost everyone only has one class to go. Peyton was just getting her stuff ready for her literature class when Haley came up beside her. "Hey you!" greeted Haley in a cheery voice.

Peyton just smiled and greeted back, "Hey Hales, what's up?"

Haley suddenly looked like she's hesitant about something, which Peyton clearly noticed. "Um, actually..." Haley began.

Peyton looked at her straight with the c'mon-fess-up-look, "Hales, what is it?"

Haley let out a heavy sigh, "Peyt, I badly need your help."

Peyton looked at her with a serious expression, "Hales, is something wrong?"

Haley let out a little laugh, "Don't worry, I'm not dying. It's just that Jake asked me to watch Jenny during his basketball practice later."

Peyton's eyes widened with delightful surprise, "Jake's here?"

Haley smiled and nodded, "And so are Nathan and Lucas."

The happiness on Peyton's face suddenly turned into worry, "I know..."

Haley's face turned just as worrisome, "Peyt, I need you to watch Jenny with me later. I don't think I can handle Nathan all by myself."

Although she would rather not, Peyton knew that Haley needs her. She nodded and gave her friend an assuring smile, "Don't worry, I got your back."

Haley beamed at her gratefully, "Thank you so much Peyt, I'll see you later!" With that, Haley headed to her final class of the day.

Peyton gave her a sly smile. As she watched her friend walk away, her face turned worrisome. _"What am I 'gonna do with him there?" _she asked herself as she began to walk to her own class. As she continued to walk, however, Peyton slowly became relaxed as she allowed a smile to creep along the corners of her mouth, _"I still get butterflies whenever I think of him, how funny!"_

Haley ran into Jake again as she rushed to her class. "Hey Jake, you think Jenny would still 'wanna hang out with her Aunt Haley?"

Jake just laughed, "Of course Hales, she likes to play with you a lot. Speaking of Jenny, I'm 'gonna go pick her up from my mom's now. See you later!"

Haley nodded with a smile, "Alright, can't wait to see her again!"

Peyton quickly settled into a seat once she got inside the classroom. She's been looking forward to this class all day. She took a deep breath and rested her back on the chair as she looked out the window. Suddenly, she heard someone call out her name, "Peyton?"

When she looked up, she was surprised to see a familiar face with dirty blond hair smiling at her, "Lucas? You're taking this class too?"

Lucas smiled as he nodded, "Yeah, I chose this as my elective. Hey, can I sit next to you?"

Peyton just smiled rather uneasily, "Yeah...sure."

Lucas nodded gratefully. After getting himself settled, he turned towards Peyton who was obviously avoiding his eyes, "So, how are doing? I haven't seen around all summer."

Peyton just gave a sly smile, "Yeah, I went out of town with my dad. You know, trying to get some bonding time."

Lucas just laughed, "Yeah, well my mom and me ended up bonding in her café."

Peyton laughed as she turned to him. She was starting to feel a little relaxed around Lucas, "Well that's fun. Hope you didn't burn the kitchen down!"

Lucas grinned at her, "Nope, I kept a fire extinguisher next to me all the time."

Peyton just nodded. A moment of silence crept between the two of them all of sudden and Peyton became quite uneasy again. Finally, Lucas decided to speak up, "So, you still draw?"

Peyton nodded, "Yeah. Matter of fact, I'm stopping by the school newspaper office afterwards to hand in my work. I'm not sure if they're 'gonna like it, though."

Lucas looked at her, quite surprised, "Are you kidding? They're 'gonna love it, Peyt. I mean, I've always liked your drawings. You always put so much of your feelings into them."

Peyton just smiled at him gratefully. "You sound like you know me pretty well," she remarked at him in a quite serious tone. "_Of course you do, your eyes can see right through me,"_ she suddenly heard a voice in her mind say.

Although meaning to be serious, Lucas just laughed as he answered back in a joking tone, "Do I?" Inside, Lucas let his eyes roam around her face. _"If I had known you well, I would've never lost you in the first place,"_ he told her in his mind.

Peyton felt Lucas' eyes on her and knew immediately that she would not dare want to meet his gaze. She just turned to the other side and looked out the window.

After awhile, she heard Lucas calling her again. "Peyton," Lucas softly began.

Peyton turned to him casually. Lucas looked intently into her eyes, "I'm glad you're here."

Peyton gave him a warm smile, "Me too."

Soon, their professor came in and the class began. Throughout the period, both Peyton and Lucas kept stealing glances at one another. Inside, Lucas was trying to have a conversation with Peyton's mind, _"Can't we give us another chance? I swear I haven't given up on you, Peyt." _

Whenever Peyton would steal a glance at Lucas, she ends up asking him only one thing in her mind, _"Is it too late for us, Lucas?"_

As the period ended, Peyton started to gather up her stuff and so did Lucas. "So, where are you going after this?" asked Lucas casually.

Still not looking up, Peyton replied, "Umm, I'll take my drawings to the school publication and then help Haley baby-sit Jenny."

Lucas nodded. "Looks like you'll be around our basketball practice then. Maybe we can go together...that is, if it's okay with you," Luke nervously offered. He really wanted to be around Peyton as much as he can.

Peyton just smiled slyly, "Sure, Haley would love to see you too."

Lucas tried to push his luck further as he looked at Peyton intently, "That's great, is she the only one who would love to see me though?"

Peyton sighed as she looked sadly into his eyes, "Look Luke, I've always liked you. It's just that...." Peyton suddenly unsure if she wanted to continue, "I....I'm not sure what's....the deal....between us, Luke. We're still friends though....right?"

Luke obviously looked pretty hurt, although he managed to reply, "Yeah, you'll always be a friend to me, Peyt." _"Even more than that,"_ he thought. Suddenly, he didn't feel so good about being with her. Although, he liked to be around her, his frustration was just taking over him. He didn't want to say anything else, he was scared it would just push her away. Believing that it was for the best, Lucas decided to pull away from her for the moment, "Hey Peyt, I remembered I have to meet up with Nathan before we start practice. Maybe I'll catch up with you later...at the gym?"

Peyton nodded, "Sure, I'll see you there." Lucas nodded smilingly as he turned his back and walked away. Peyton just stared after him. She couldn't believe she pushed him away when inside, she's been wanting him so bad. "_Maybe it's just not meant to be," _she sadly thought as she watched after him until he completely disappeared from her sight.

She entered the office and handed in her work. From there, she walked towards the lockers where she suspected Haley will be waiting. _"Surely she can't enter the gym by herself,"_ she thought as she rushed a little.

She was right. Haley was nervously waiting for her by the lockers. Seeing how tensed her friend already is, Peyton came up to her gently, "Hey Hales, you okay? What's up?"

Haley smiled her, but she still could not hide the anxiety she was feeling, "I don't think I can do it, Peyt! I can't face him now...not yet."

Peyton just gave her a sympathetic smile as she put a hand on her arm, "It's okay Hales, I can watch Jenny myself. You don't have to go."

Haley sighed and smiled at her friend gratefully, "But a part of me wants to at least, have a glimpse of him. We were together for quite awhile and there's a lot of history there and...."

Peyton suddenly interrupted her, "Stop....okay, stop freaking out. If you want to see him, then go. But if you feel like you need more time, it's alright."

Haley gave a sly smile, "Thanks Peyt. I don't know, maybe we can just take Jenny out for a sundae if I don't feel good about the whole....thing."

Peyton nodded and smiled understandingly at her, "Alright. I don't think it would be so bad though. I mean, I was just with Lucas and..."

Haley eyes suddenly widened with surprise for her friend, "What? You were with Lucas? Well, how did it go? What happened?"

Peyton laughed as she shrugged, "Actually, nothing. I mean, I think I sort of...pushed him away."

Haley looked at her intently, "How do you feel about Luke anyway?"

Peyton sighed, "I honestly don't know Hales. I mean, I want him with me but then..."

"You don't know if you two can make things work," finished Haley for her friend with an I-knew-it look on her face.

Peyton bit her lip and nodded. After a brief moment of silence between the two, they just burst out laughing. "My God, look at us!" Peyton exclaimed as they fixed their stuff.

Haley just smiled as she turned to her, "I know, we can't let them do this to us!"

Peyton nodded as she closed her locker shut and linked arms with Haley, "Well c'mon, let's walk in there with our heads up!"

Haley nodded and arm in arm, they walked to the gym.

When they arrived, there was no sign of the players on the court. The only ones around were Jake and little Jenny who was running towards them. "Auntie Peyton, Auntie Haley!" Jenny screamed as she ran as fast as she could towards them.

"Hey sweetie," greeted Haley as she knelt down to give Jenny a hug.

Peyton followed Haley and gave Jenny a peck on the cheek, "Hi Jenny, your daddy treating you good?"

Jenny nodded sweetly, "Uhuh, he lets me stay up late with a huge batch of cookies!"

The two girls just laughed as they looked at Jake who was approaching them. "Jake, you sure make a cool dad! Can you adopt me now?" joked Haley as he came near. Peyton joined in, "Me too!" She reached out to give Jake a hug.

Jake just laughed, "You flatter me too much Hales!" He then turned to his little girl, "Jenny, I'm 'gonna leave you with your two sweet aunties while I play ball, alright? Follow what they say and don't go anywhere without them."

Jenny nodded sweetly, "Okay daddy, I love you." She held her arms up as if asking her dad to carry her into his arms.

Jake was smiling like a proud parent as he reached for his daughter and carried her into his arms. "I love you too, sweet tots. Now, daddy has to go change. I'll see you in awhile," he gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek before setting her back down. Both Peyton and Haley were just touched by the bond that Jenny and Jake share.

Before he left, Jake turned to Haley and Peyton. "I really appreciate you guys doing this for me." Peyton just smiled at him, "Jenny's an angel, Jake. She's always been ever since she was a baby."

Jake smiled gratefully, "Well, I hope you two will enjoy playing with her. She's got some dolls and coloring books in her backpack. Have a good time!" With that, he waved at both girls and went on his way.

Peyton turned to Jenny, "Okay sweetie, let's go set up your workstation."

Haley smiled at Jenny, "Yeah, let's do something fun!"

With that, the girls sat with Jenny by the bleachers and started to look around her small pink backpack. Soon, all three of them were having a good time that Haley forgot about her worries almost completely.

Jake was suiting himself up in the lockers along with the rest of the guys. Nathan and Lucas were beside him, getting ready as well. "Hey man, glad you finally found a baby-sitter!" exclaimed Lucas as he smiled at his friend.

"Yeah, sure am glad I did. I don't 'wanna end up glancing at the bleachers every 5 minutes just to check if she's still there!" answered Jake in a very relieved tone.

Nathan just laughed while tying his shoelaces, "Sounds to me like you got yourself one hell of a baby-sitter!"

Jake just grinned, "Oh you have no idea!"

Suddenly, Coach Fowler came up from behind, "C'mon boys, let's get out there and work the court!"

The three just smiled as they joined the rest of the team who filed out to the basketball court. As they emerged into the court, Jenny noticed her dad and acknowledged him. "Daddy, daddy!" she called out as she waved with both hands. Jake got an okay-go-to-her look from the coach so he ran towards the girls once more. "Hey kiddo, you behave now. Alright?" he gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek.

All of sudden, Lucas came up from behind Jake and suddenly appeared in front of Haley. "Hey buddy!" he happily greeted.

Haley was so happy to see him that she immediately stood up and jumped into his arms for a hug, "Lucas! I've missed you!"

Lucas just laughed as they pulled away, "Me too Hales, maybe we can catch up on old times one of these days."

Haley nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that!"

Suddenly, a tall figure emerged from behind Lucas. Nathan was uneasily looking at Haley. As Haley saw him, she didn't know what to say. Realizing the two needed some time to themselves, Lucas stepped aside and talked to Jake who was playing with Jenny.

Nathan and Haley just looked at each other for quite some time. Both of them were just stunned to see each other. Nathan had so many things he wanted to say to her. Upon seeing her though, he found himself speechless. He didn't know where to start, he was afraid anything he would say might just push her further away. On the other hand, Haley felt mixed emotions going through her. A part of her wanted to throw punches on his chest while telling him what a jerk he was. However, there was also a part of her that just wanted to run into his arms and forget about what he'd done.

Finally, Nathan spoke up. "Hi..." he greeted in a barely audible voice. Haley just looked at him with a blank expression on her face. "Hey..." she managed to say although her voice could be barely heard as well.

As Haley looked into his blue eyes, she saw how much longing was in them. She also saw the sadness he seems to have been carrying for quite a long time. She wanted to say more to him, she just didn't know what. _"Damn it Nathan, why did you have to do this to us?"_ she asked him in her mind. She felt a stab in the heart as she went back to that painfully unforgettable moment.

Nathan knew exactly what he wanted to say. He's been dying to tell her this ever since they broke up. He just scratched his head as he nervously began, "Haley, I'm..."

Haley turned her eyes away from him and looked down with a serious expression on her face. "Nathan, don't...not now."

Nathan felt a lump on his throat as his sight began to blur with tears, "Hales...."

Haley looked up at him, her own eyes brimming with tears of pain, "Nate, please...I don't 'wanna hear it...not now."

Nathan just nodded. He felt he couldn't say anything anymore as he desperately tried to fight back the tears.

Haley gave him a sly smile. "It's good to see you, Nate," she said in a barely audible voice. With that, she fled the gym, leaving Nathan to look on. Suddenly, their coach came up from behind and put an arm on Nathan's shoulder, "C'mon son, deal with that later."

Nathan turned to his coach and nodded as he joined the rest of his teammates.

_A/N: It's a pretty long chapter but I hope you all like it. Thank you for all the reviews, it's been really encouraging! =)_


	6. The Power of Friendship

Chapter 6: The Power of Friendship

As the doors shut close behind her, Haley rested her head on the door and started to sob. The sight of Nathan caused an overflow of emotions inside her. She never expected that to happen. She thought she had gotten to a point where she would act around Nathan like a civilized adult, pretending nothing ever happened between them. The moment she met his eyes though, everything came back to her. _"I knew this wasn't a good idea,"_ she thought as she tried to calm herself down.

Suddenly, she saw a hand with a piece of tissue waving in front of her face. When she looked up, she saw Brooke smiling sympathetically at her friend. "How are you feeling?" Brooke softly asked as smoothed Haley's hair.

Haley looked at her a she began to sob again, "I saw him Brooke and...I just froze right there! All of sudden, memories started flooding in my mind...you know, those that I just 'wanna forget!"

Brooke looked at her straight, "Okay, you know what you need? A huge fudge sundae with lots of whipped cream and nuts....c'mon, I could use one too!"

Haley just laughed as she smiled at her friend gratefully, "Maybe you're right."

Brooke grinned at her, "Of course, I am! Now, I'll just go to Peyton and tell her to meet us in the mall."

Haley nodded. With that, Brooke walked into the gym. The basketball team was in the middle of practice so Lucas just waved at her when he saw her walk-in. As Brooke approached the bench where Peyton and Jenny were, she broke into a smile upon seeing Jenny. "Jenny, how are you sweetie?" Brooke greeted as she came near.

Jenny looked up and recognized one of her favorite aunts. "Auntie Brooke!" she squealed as she ran towards her for a hug.

As soon as she was in Brooke's arms, Brooke took her niece for a little swing. "Oh, you've gotten a little heavier!" she remarked as she set her down.

Jenny just smiled, "Daddy says I'm getting stronger."

Brooke smiled at her sweetly and nodded, "Yes you are, honey!"

With an arm around Jenny's shoulder, Brooke walked over to Peyton with a smile on her face. "What's up girlfriend? Seems one of you was able to handle the Scott interaction a lot better!" she remarked as she got near.

Peyton just laughed, "Guess someone did! How is she?"

"She's okay, there's nothing a sundae can't cure." Brooke remarked as she sat beside her.

Peyton suddenly looked relieved, "Glad to know she's feeling a little better. You guys go ahead. I'll wait for Jake and we'll meet you there."

Brooke nodded, "Okay, you sure you don't need help dealing with Lucas?"

Peyton laughed, "He's in my literature class, Brooke. I've been dealing with him since my last period!"

Brooke gave her friend an intriguing look, "Is that so? Well, looks like we can gang up on him then!"

Peyton smiled at her, "Sounds good, but I really don't think he would deserve that. He wasn't the one who jerkily broke up with his girlfriend, you know?"

Brooke shrugged, "Yeah, guess you have a point there. Well, I guess I'll catch 'ya later. Haley's waiting outside."

Peyton nodded, "Alright, I'll see you two later!"

Brooke turned to Jenny, "And I'll see you too later, Jenny!"

Jenny nodded, "We're going for a sundae?"

Brooke smiled at her, "Of course sweetie, I'll get you a nice big one!"

With that Brooke waved good-bye and left the gym.

After running a couple of plays, the coach decided to give the boys a short break. Nathan has not gone over what had just occurred in the gym earlier. He really felt bad about what he had done to Haley. Now, he really feels like he could not face her again. Walking beside his brother, he remarked, "I think I really lost her."

Lucas turned to her with intent eyes, "You 'gotta give Haley some time, maybe that's all she needs."

Nathan shook his head, "We haven't spoken to each other all summer, Luke. How much longer do we have to go on like this?" Realizing his frustration was getting the better of him, he ended up letting out a heavy sigh, I just don't know what I'd do if I lose her forever."

Lucas just sighed as he pat his brother on the back, "You know you haven't, Nathan. Look, I know Haley still has feelings for you. So, just...try again."

Nathan just gave a sly smile, "I really wish it were that easy."

As Lucas scanned the bleachers, he noticed that Jake was busily playing with Jenny while Peyton just looked on. Without giving it another thought, he walked over to Peyton. He casually sat beside Peyton, "Hey, you look like you're having a great time with Jenny."

Peyton smiled as she turned to him, "Well, she's a really adorable child. It's not hard to like her."

Lucas just nodded. A moment of silence swept over the two of them for awhile. Lucas suddenly took a heavy sigh, "Look Peyton, I'm sorry about awhile ago. I didn't mean to be.."

Peyton put a hand on his arm to interrupt him, "No Luke...really, we should just forget about it. I mean...I really want us to be good friends."

Lucas smiled at her gratefully, although feeling quite disappointed inside once more, "Well, that's good to know. I feel the same way too."

Coach Fowler suddenly called on his team. The break was over. Lucas turned to Peyton, "I guess I'll see you in class."

Peyton just nodded, "Yeah..."

Lucas started to walk to the other side of the court as Peyton looked on. All of a sudden, she felt the urge to speak. "Hey Luke!" she called out.

Lucas immediately turned around to face her. Nervously, Peyton spoke up, "I was thinking....maybe you can come join us later for a sundae."

Lucas smiled at her and nodded,"Yeah, I would like that."

Peyton smiled at him. As he turned back to his coach, Peyton let a wide grin creep into the corners of her mouth. For some reason, she felt so happy about being able to spend some time with him later...

_A/N: Hi, sorry it took quite long to update. Thank you so much for all your support and hope you keep reading! =)_


	7. Another Way

Chapter 7: Another Way...

The team practice has finally come to an end and the guys all ran to hit the showers. Meanwhile, Peyton and Jenny just kept playing while waiting for the guys. While her eyes remained glued to her doll, Jenny suddenly popped up an unexpected question, "Auntie Peyton, are Auntie Haley and Uncle Nate ever 'gonna be friends again?"

Peyton was surprised by the question the 4-year old girl had just asked. _"She's a pretty keen observer,"_ she thought as she figured out how to answer the question in a way that Jenny could understand. She realized, however, that Haley and Nathan's situation were just too complicated. She tried to let out a surprised laugh, "How do you know they're not friends anyway?"

Young Jenny looked at her with serious eyes, "I saw Aunt Haley crying while Uncle Nate tried to talk to her. Then, she left...she was supposed to play with me too, right? Uncle Nathan made her run away."

"_Boy, this girl sure is smart!"_ she impressively thought as she found herself beaming at her niece with pride. Taking a deep breath, she began to give the child an idea of what is really going on, "Actually Jenny, Aunt Haley is pretty upset with something Uncle Nathan did."

Jenny nodded, "And Uncle Nathan really feels bad about that too..."

Peyton gave her an intriguing look, "Why do you say that sweetie?"

Jenny let out a heavy sigh, "He would come over a lot and talk to daddy. Sometimes, he would take too much beer so daddy would just tell him to stay over."

Peyton was shocked upon learning how Nathan is dealing with his break-up. However, she's not sure whether she should tell Haley about this. "How often does he do that sweetie?" she asked while hoping inside that it had only happened once or twice since the break-up.

Jenny thought for awhile, "Umm, I just know he shows up whenever he's really upset."

"And where would Uncle Lucas be?" Peyton found herself asking. _"Please don't tell me he does that too!"_ she thought as she waited for Jenny to answer.

"I know Uncle Lucas is usually with Mommy Karen during those times. He helps in the café when he's not playing basketball or hanging out with us." Jenny answered as she fixed her doll's hair.

Peyton just smiled. She was so relieved. "_Thank God he's not doing anything...stupid,"_ she thought.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar husky voice come up to her. "Hey, how are you two doing?" Lucas asked smilingly as he got near them.

Peyton smiled at him, "We're pretty good. I learned a lot of things from Jenny today."

Jenny nodded, "Yep, I taught Aunt Peyton the games you taught me before!"

Lucas just laughed as he turned to Jenny, "You did?"

Jenny smiled proudly, "Uhuh, I told you I was a good student."

Lucas just smiled at her. Suddenly, Jenny saw his dad walking over to them. "Daddy!" she screamed as she ran towards her dad who was anticipating from his daughter with open arms. Peyton and Lucas intently watched Jake and Jenny for awhile. Peyton suddenly sighed, "I wish my dad and I were that close."

Lucas turned to her, "Hey, at least you and your dad have a really good relationship. I only know my dad as the big man who makes my life a living hell!"

Peyton just laughed, "Some things never do change, huh?"

Lucas nodded as he smiled slyly at her, "Yeah.." He suddenly looked down as he said to her in his mind, _"I really wish I could say the same thing about us." _

Suddenly, Nathan joined them. "Hey, so...what's the plan now?"

Lucas turned to his brother, "We're 'gonna go have sundae with Jenny and Brooke..." Suddenly, he felt hesitant to continue, but he did anyway, "And Haley."

Nathan became quite bothered about meeting up with Haley considering what had just happened earlier. "Oh..."Nathan just nodded. He didn't know what else to say.

Lucas felt sorry for his brother. He gave him a pat on the back, "Look man, maybe this will turn out better than what happened earlier."  
Sadness suddenly swept all over Nathan's face. He shook his head as he looked down, "Damn, I just 'wanna say I'm sorry..."

Peyton couldn't help but feel really sorry for Nathan. She could see how much being apart from Haley was killing him. Finally, she decided to speak up, "Nate, I think Lucas is right. You should come along. After all, it's another chance to give her an apology."

Nathan gave him a sly smile, "I hope she hears me out this time. Thanks Peyt!"

Peyton just nodded. The three have gone into comfortable silence when Jenny suddenly joined them. The little girl turned to one of her uncles. "Uncle Luke, carry me!"

Lucas just laughed as he gave in to his niece's request, "Alright. I 'gotta say though, you're getting pretty heavy for me!" Together, Luke and Jenny went to the court where Luke took the grinning girl for a swing in his arms.

Both Nathan and Peyton just laughed. Nathan suddenly turned to Peyton, "You and my brother really make quite a pair. You're both good people, you know...you deserve each other."

Peyton smiled at him, "Thanks Nate, but we're not seeing each other. I actually told him we should just be friends."

Nathan now understood the disappointment he saw on his brother's face when he walked into the gym earlier. "Peyt, if you're worried that it won't work out...just like us...I can tell you, it's not 'gonna happen. Luke really loves you, you know. He loves you the way...I love Haley."

Peyton nodded and smiled at him gratefully, "Thanks for the advice, Nate. Now, can I give you mine? Downing cans and cans of beer will not solve your problem. Besides, the last thing you want is for Haley to see you wasted."

Nathan was surprised for Peyton to learn about his drinking, but he didn't say anything and just smiled, "Actually, I think I can deal with Haley more when I'm drunk. I have more guts to tell her how I feel."

Peyton just laughed, "Guys and beer still remain inseparable."

Peyton's cel. phone suddenly rang. "Hello..."she answered as she picked the call up.

"Hey Peyt, we were just 'gonna go to the ice cream shop. Are you on your way?" Haley asked. She sounded better than she did a little earlier.

"Hi Hales. Yeah, we're on our way. See you there!" she said as she hung up.

Jake suddenly joined them. "You guys ready to go?" he asked as he saw Lucas and Jenny walking back towards them.

Nathan took a deep breath, "Yeah, let's get 'outta here."

Ethan joined Brooke and Haley in the mall. They settled into a cozy corner in the ice cream shop while waiting for their friends. Haley tried to avoid looking at Brooke and Ethan as they kept kissing each other. After awhile, Haley couldn't stand them any longer, "Uh...would you guys do that...some other time?"

The two immediately stopped. Brooke smiled at her friend apologetically, "Sorry Hales, we didn't mean to..."

Haley laughed as she interrupted Brooke, "You don't have to explain, Brooke. I was just like that with...." She suddenly stopped, not wanting to remember that part of her life anymore.

Brooke put a hand on her friend's arm, "It will get better soon Hales, you'll see."

Haley gave her friend a sly smile._ "I hope so, "_she said to herself.

It didn't take long before Peyton and the rest of the group reached the mall. Peyton was the first to walk into the ice cream shop as the rest followed behind her. She scanned the place for her friends and found them seated into a cozy corner. She met Brooke's eyes and waved at her. Brooke waved back as she saw them approach. "Hey!" Peyton greeted as soon as she reached the table.

Brooke and Haley both looked up and smiled at her. "Hey Peyt!" Haley greeted as she came near.

"Hello girlfriend, looks like you brought a whole gang with you," Brooke commented as she noticed 3 basketball players and little girl following behind her friend.

Peyton just smiled. She felt quite uneasy, not knowing how Haley will react to Nathan this time. The guys finally reached the table and Jake was the first one to greet them along with Jenny. "Hey, you all looking pretty comfy out there!" he remarked as he reached the table alongside Jenny.

Jenny squealed as she saw her two aunts again. "Auntie Brooke, Auntie Hales!" she cheerfully greeted as she rushed over to Brooke to give her a kiss on the cheek then went to give her Aunt Haley a hug.

Haley was laughing as the four-year old girl gave her a comforting hug, "Oh sweetie, it's so good to see you!"

Not pulling away from Haley, Jenny looked up, "Promise you won't cry anymore? Uncle Nathan's really, really, really, really sorry....right, Uncle Nathan?" Jenny turned her head around to Nathan who was already standing beside Jenny and Haley.

Nathan fought tears from streaming down his face as he choked out a reply to Jenny, "That's right. I'm so sorry, Hales."

Haley's heart went out to Nathan as she saw his teary eyes. Still, she cannot forget what had happened. Nevertheless, she felt that renewing her friendship with Nathan was the right thing to do. She turned to him and gave him a smile. "Friends?" she asked as she extended a hand to him.

Nathan's face somewhat lit up upon Haley's gesture. He gladly shook her hand, "Friends."

Haley smiled as she stood up and gave Nathan a hug. It felt good to feel his arms around her again, but she would not dare take their renewed relationship to the next level, at least not at this time. Still, she whispered in his ear, "It's good to see you again."

Nathan laughed and just whispered back, "Yeah, you too." He knew it was going to take quite some time before him and Haley would ever date again. At that moment, he was just happy to know that she is finally talking to him. She may not be his girlfriend but at least, she has once again become his friend.

Haley just gave him the same smile she would give Lucas. Clearly, she wasn't after pursuing an intimate relationship with him...not for now.

_A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews, it's been really encouraging. I hope you enjoy this and the upcoming ones too! =)_


	8. Chances and Misses

Chapter 8: Chances and Misses

"_I'm sorry Hales, I really am," Nathan pleaded to Haley whose eyes were filled with tears._

_Haley shook her head as she looked down, "You think it's that easy, Nate? You think sorry can turn back time and make things right?"_

_Nathan face was streaming with tears as he took Haley's hand in his, "No Hales, nothing I say or do can take away the pain that I caused you."_

_Haley looked away briefly then turned her gaze intently at him, "So what do you expect me to do now?"_

_Nathan let out a heavy sigh before looking straight into Haley's eyes, "I want nothing from you, Hales. As much as I want things back to the way it was, I know that would be too much to ask of you..." He briefly looked down before he gazed back into her eyes and continued, "I just want you to forgive me, Hales. I want to tell you that what I did back there was really stupid and...I wish I never lost you." With that, he gave Haley a sly smile while tears continued to flow down his cheeks. He let go of her hand and turned around to walk back into his car._

_Haley looked on as he walked away from her. Suddenly, she felt the need to do something. "Nathan..." she called out. Without wasting any more time, she ran towards him. Nathan stood still as he watched Haley rushing over to his side._

_As she got closer, she stopped right in front of him. Looking deep into his eyes, she softly spoke, "I wish I never lost you too and...I wish I won't lose you now."_

_Nathan let out tears of joy as he managed to choke out, "I love you Haley." With that, he took her in his arms and gave her a very passionate kiss..._

Haley's dreams were abruptly interrupted when she heard the doorbell rang. _"Some dream that was,"_ she thought as she dragged herself out of bed and headed downstairs to see who was at the door.

As she opened the door, she was surprised to see a familiar tall figure stop by. The sight of him also gave her a strange feeling, _"What is this? The twilight zone?"_ she thought as she gave him a casually surprised smile. "Nathan, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Nathan was surprised to see Haley in an oversized t-shirt with her hair all-tangled up at 11:00 in the morning. "Uh...Hi Hales! I saw Peyton at school and she told me I would find you here," he replied as he allowed himself to take a good look at her. "_She still looks beautiful...all tousled up in the morning,"_ he thought as he looked at her.

Haley still looked quite surprised, "Whoa, Peyton's at school...already? What time is it anyway?"

Nathan just smiled, "It's 11 in the morning already, Hales. Don't tell me you just woke up."

Haley shook her head as she laughed, "Actually, I just did..." _"And damn, was I just kissing you!"_ she added in her mind.

Nathan now understood why she answered the door looking like she just got out of bed, "Well, I actually wanted to ask if...." He suddenly didn't think his proposal would be a good idea, but he went ahead anyway, "You see, the guys and me are having our first game for Anne Dale U next week. Since you've forgiven me yesterday, I was hoping you'd..."

Haley just laughed as she continued for him, "Be there? Yeah, I would love to."

Nathan couldn't stop the wide grin from forming along the corners of his mouth. "That's great," he exclaimed, although trying not to sound over-enthusiastic.

They were smiling at each other when they suddenly met each other's eyes. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Finally, Nathan felt the need to tear his eyes away from hers. _"I might end up grabbing her for a kiss,"_ he thought as he looked down.

Scratching his head, he awkwardly said good-bye, "So...I guess I'll see you around. Bye Hales!" With that, he turned around and began to walk away.

Haley suddenly felt the same urge she felt in her unconscious self earlier. "Nathan," she called out.

Nathan stopped on his tracks and turned around, "Yeah?"

Haley crossed her arms as she tried to find words to say. "Umm, I was just about to fix myself something to eat....you 'wanna stay for...brunch?"

Nathan smiled at her gratefully, "Yeah, I'd love to."

With that, he walked back towards Haley who was holding out the door for him. As he reached the door, he found himself standing only a few inches apart from Haley. He looked straight into her eyes with a big smile on his face, "You know, I'm really glad we get to do this again. I really missed you, Hales."

Haley smiled at him, "Me too."

Peyton was walking along the hallway when she suddenly heard someone singing. She tried to find where it was coming from and eventually, she spotted a band. The room was open and she let herself lean on the door as she listened to them perform:

_You know I want you_

_You know I need you...so bad_

_You know I love you_

_But you're the one I never had_

_Baby, I've fallen_

_I've fallen bad for you..._

_Why can't you trust me_

_And feel the same way too..._

_Trust is an issue between us_

_That much I know_

_But do you really want us over_

_Do you really want to go?_

As they stopped for a break, the lead singer of the band noticed the blond girl silently listening to them. "Hey, you 'wanna jam with us?"

Peyton just laughed, "Me? I only sing in monotones."

The singer just laughed as he approached her. Peyton couldn't help but notice how ruggedly handsome the guy walking towards her is. He had ruffled chestnut hair and irresistible green eyes. She also noticed his sexy grin. As the guy approached, he held out his hand, "I'm Sean, by the way."

Peyton shook his hand smilingly, "I'm Peyton."

"You got a good ear for music, Peyton. You sure you don't sing?" asked Sean who felt immediately drawn to her.

Peyton just laughed, "Nah, I just like listening to them. I'd rather draw, actually."

Sean was impressed, "Maybe you can do posters for us then?"

Peyton gave him a smile, "Sure, you performing in school?"

Sean nodded, "Yeah, in a couple of weeks."

Peyton nodded, "Alright. Just let me know if you need my help...great song by the way. Did you write that?"

Sean smiled at her, "You like it?"

Peyton's eyes widened, "I love it!"

Sean laughed, "Then, I wrote it!"

Peyton just chuckled, "You're unbelievable."

Sean smiled at her, "You're stunning."

Peyton gave her a sly smile, "Uh..thanks."

Sean knew he had to take advantage of the moment, "Hey, I know we just met and all but...would you like to go out sometime. You know, nothing formal...we could just jam together...I can even teach you to sing."

Peyton just laughed. For some reason, she felt so comfortable around him. It's as if she's known him forever, "Alright, don't expect I'll turn into a diva though. Chances are, I'd still sound like a frog afterwards."

Sean just laughed, "Maybe you can come by on Thursday again, same time?"

Peyton nodded, "Sure, see 'ya!" With that, she left. _"Damn, that guy is cute,"_ she excitedly thought as she imagined how her so-called date with Sean would turn out.

As she stepped out of the building, she saw two familiar faces hanging out by the playground. Jenny was happily playing in the swing as Lucas pushed her. "Higher Uncle Luke, higher!" she happily yelled as Lucas kept trying to push her higher.

Lucas just laughed, "Alright, if you asked for it!" He tried to push her as much as he could.

Peyton smiled at the sight of Lucas and Jenny. She immediately walked over to them. "Hey you two!" she greeted as she came near.

Lucas felt his spirits soar as he saw Peyton walking over to them. Jenny squealed as she caught sight of her aunt, "Aunt Peyton, look at me. I'm flying!"

Peyton just laughed as she got near them, "That's great sweetie, just don't fly too high now."

Peyton turned to Lucas, "Hey, you want me to take over? You look like you could use some rest."

Lucas just smiled, "That's alright, I'm having fun anyway."

Peyton just nodded. She turned her attention to Jenny and started to play with her. Suddenly, Lucas spoke up, "Peyton..."

Peyton suddenly looked up at him, "Yeah?"

Lucas gave her a sly smile before he continued, "Um, we're having a game next week. I was hoping that you could come and watch."

Peyton nodded, "Sure, I'll bring Haley and Brooke along too."

Lucas smiled at her gratefully, "Great."

They were busily playing with Jenny when suddenly two middle-aged women passed through the playground. As they looked at them, one remarked quite audibly, "Oh, that's such a lovely family."

Peyton and Lucas both didn't say anything upon hearing the comment. As soon as the two women were out of earshot though, they burst into laughter. "I guess we make a pretty good team," Peyton commented when the laughter died down.

Lucas let out a chuckle as he nodded, "Yeah, we sure do."

Jenny suddenly turned to her uncle, "Uncle Lucas, do you like Aunt Peyton?"

Lucas looked intently into Peyton's eyes, "Sure, I do."

Jenny then turned to face her aunt, "Aunt Peyton, do you like Uncle Luke?"

Peyton smiled as she faced Lucas, "I do, sweetie."

Jenny smiled in delight, "Great, then you can kiss each other."

Both turned to look at Jenny surprised. "What?" they said in unison.

"My daddy said that when two people like each other, they kiss," explained the 4-year old in a matter-of-fact voice.

Lucas looked at Peyton intently and smiled, "Jenny, I would kiss your aunt only if she wants me to."

Peyton just let out a sly smile. _"How about now?"_ she found herself thinking. Feeling Lucas's lips to hers never failed to make her feel so alive. He makes her feel like nothing in this world matters. She's sure of one thing, a part of her still wants Lucas.

Suddenly, Peyton heard someone calling out her name. "Peyton," Sean called out as he walked over towards her.

Peyton smiled as she turned and saw the cute singer she just met,"Hey Sean!"

As Sean approached them, he smiled at Jenny who was looking curiously at him, "You didn't tell me you have a daughter."

Peyton laughed, "Well, I don't. This is Jenny, my niece."

Sean let out a chuckle, "Oh, hi there." Lucas just stood in silence, looking intently at the guy playing with Jenny. Peyton suddenly realized that Lucas was feeling pretty uneasy.

"Um Sean, this is Lucas...a good friend of mine," Peyton said as her eyes turned from one guy to the other.

Sean looked up at him, "Hey man."

Lucas just let out a sly smile, "Hi"

Sean looked at Lucas again then at Jenny, "Is she.."

Lucas laughed, "No, we're just babysitting for our friend."

Sean nodded, "Well, I guess I'll go ahead." He turned to look at Peyton, "See you Thursday?"

Peyton smiled as she nodded, "Yeah, see 'ya."

Sean smiled at both Lucas and Jenny as he walked away.

Lucas didn't feel good about Sean. He actually felt quite jealous of him. Problem is, he can't do anything about it and this only made him feel pretty frustrated. "Um Peyton, I remembered I have to do something. Do you mind watching Jenny?" he asked while trying his best not to show how upset he has become.

Peyton looked at him and realized he was just trying to make an excuse to get away from her. Although she didn't want him to go, she knew he needed to, "Um...sure, I can take her back to Jake later."

Lucas nodded with a sly smile, "Cool, I guess I'll see you around."

Peyton nodded while trying to give him an apologetic smile, "Umm, yeah...see 'ya"

With that, Lucas leaned down to give Jenny a kiss on the cheek, "I'll see you soon Jenny."

Jenny sensed how hurt her uncle is feeling as she answered softly, "Okay, Uncle Luke."

Lucas gave Peyton a smile as he turned around and walked away. Peyton just stood there, watching him. Suddenly, Jenny tugged her arm, "I'm not sure if I like Sean, Aunt Peyton."

Peyton was surprised at the young girl's comment, "Why do you say that?"

Jenny pouted as she answered, "Because he made Uncle Luke sad."

Peyton stopped laughing and took a deep sigh, "He did, didn't he?" She found herself looking at where Lucas was just walking from awhile ago. _"Lucas deserves to be happy...but I can't say it would be with me..."_ she thought.


	9. Confessions

Chapter 9: Confessions

Brooke sat alone in the kitchen early in the morning, looking visibly absorbed. She played with her cereal as she blankly stared into one corner of the room. She didn't even hear Peyton walking in. _"It's almost Saturday...it's almost judgment day..."_she kept telling herself as she continued to play with her bowl of Cheerios with her spoon.

Peyton stood still as she leaned on the kitchen counter while looking curiously at her friend. "Hey, are you going to eat that? It's getting soggy, you know," she remarked as she grabbed herself a bowl and a spoon.

Brooke looked at her best friend and let out a sigh, "Did you ever get the feeling that the best day of your life will also be the most mind-wrecking one?"

Peyton posed a tell-me-about-it look, "Oh yeah, try heart-wrenching."

Brooke suddenly stepped out of her concerns and looked curiously at her friend. She gave Peyton a curious smile, "Peyton Sawyer broke Lucas Scott's heart once again, I believe."

Peyton nodded as she slightly pouted, "Yeah and Jenny was there to see it too."

Brooke just laughed, "Well, that's a first. So, did you give him the I-just-want-us-to-be-friends line again or did you make up a completely new script?"

Peyton laughed as she poured herself a bowl of Cheerios, "There was a supporting actor actually, Sean."

Brooke looked at her friend quizzically, "Oooh, this is trouble....is he cute?"

Peyton playfully hit Brooke's arm, "Do you think Luke would be upset if he wasn't?"

Brooke nodded, "You're right..."

Peyton took a spoonful of cereal before speaking up again, "So, why was your mind drifting miles away from here awhile ago?"

Brooke sighed as she went back to playing with her cereal, "Well...I keep thinking about spending the weekend with Ethan and his family." She suddenly looked straight into Peyton's eyes with a desperate look on her face, "I really want them to like me so bad, you know. I keep thinking that they'll see something in me that they don't like and ask Ethan to break up with me...worse, stay away from me and....I just don't think I can deal with that."

Peyton put a sympathetic arm around her friend's shoulder, "Look, you're doing the worse-case scenario thing way too much. You just need to chill...go shopping!"

Brooke turned to her friend, looking even more exasperated, "That's the thing...shopping isn't helping me take all this anxiety away either! I mean, I found myself buying the most conservative outfits I've never imagined I would hang in my closet ever!"

"Well Brooke, you can always give them to me," remarked a smiling Haley as she emerged into the kitchen. Humming a tune, she got herself a bowl and spoon then settled herself into the breakfast table.

"Well, somebody's in a good mood," commented Peyton as she intriguingly looked at her friend.

Brooke turned to Haley with a matter-of-fact smile, "She should be, she spent the whole afternoon with Nathan yesterday."

Haley smiled as she tried to be defensive, "Okay, it's not that..." She found herself unable to continue her defense, "Really, it's not that!"

Peyton laughed, "Then, what would it be? C'mon Haley, we know that smile...it's the one reserved for Nathan."

Haley finally gave up. She took a deep breath, "Well, I'm just glad we could be friends again. We hang out together yesterday and it was something...well, I missed a lot."

Brooke looked at her curiously, "Did you two make out on our couch yesterday?"

Haley playfully tossed a piece of cereal to Brooke, "How dare you? Of course not! We're J-U-S-T friends!"

Brooke laughed as she tossed the sweet nugget back, "Well, I don't think that J-U-S-T status is 'gonna stay between you two for long."

Haley just looked down into her cereal, making whirls in the bowl with her spoon. She took a deep sigh, "I don't know...I mean, I don't know if I want us to be more than that. I just want things between us to stay...pleasant."

Brooke looked at her intently, "Well Pleasantville is just a short distance to Love Ville honey, so...something just might happen."

Haley just let out a sly smile, "I'm not so sure about that..."

Lucas was reading the newspaper intently in the kitchen. He was leaning on a chair and had his feet resting on another. His food was still untouched, something in his face clearly said that he wasn't feeling pretty good. _"How did she meet Sean?"_ he found himself asking in his mind. He's been trying so hard all morning to erase Peyton and Sean from his thoughts. Somehow, though, the sight of them getting all intimate with each other seems to be haunting him.

Nathan walked into the kitchen and went straight for the fridge. He took out a bottle of grape jam and set it on the table. He was about to make himself some toast when he noticed his brother's dead silence, "Hey man, what wrong?"

Lucas didn't bother to look up as he held the newspaper on one hand and tried to fix his coffee on another. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong," he half-heartedly answered as he pretended that nothing was bothering him.

Nathan just let out a laugh, "C'mon man, I know something's up with you and it's definitely not good."

Lucas still didn't bother to look at his brother as he continued with what he was doing, "And how do you know that, Nate?"

Nathan turned to look at him squarely, "Well, you're putting orange juice in your coffee for one."

Lucas suddenly turned to look at the coffee he was making and realized that his brother was right. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed as he stood up to toss the disgusting drink into the sink.

Nathan just laughed as he shook his head, "Now do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Lucas let out a heavy sigh, "I was with Peyton yesterday. Things were going great and then...this Sean guy shows up."

Nathan looked at his brother curiously, "Was he making a move on her?"

Lucas looked at him intently, "Undoubtedly...I know I have no right to be jealous but...I just am!"

Nathan gave Lucas a pat on the back, "Maybe...she's just trying to make you jealous."

Lucas's face suddenly turned sad, "Or maybe...she's trying to check what else is out there!"

Nathan shook his head as he laughed, "C'mon man, there's no point wallowing in misery when you're not even sure about that!"

Lucas sighed as he turned to his brother, "That's easy for you to say...you and Haley are pretty close to getting back together again."

Nathan took a bite of his toast and sighed, "I'm not pretty confident about that man...I mean, we were together yesterday but, she was treating me more...well like... you."

Lucas suddenly looked surprised as he laughed, "What?"

Nathan smeared a generous serving of grape jelly onto his toast as he continued, "She was treating me like...her buddy."

Lucas gulped some orange juice before he answered, "Well, that's a start. C'mon man, think baby steps." _"That would be giant steps for me_," he said to himself as bit into his already cold and hard toast.

Brooke looked out into the window of Ethan's Lexus. She still felt quite nervous about the upcoming big weekend. She suddenly turned to look at her boyfriend who met her eyes and smiled. Ethan just continued to drive, feeling happy to have his girlfriend with her. After another long look out the window, Brooke turned towards her boyfriend with a curious smile on her face, "Tell me about your family."

Ethan just laughed, "We've gone through this over and over again, baby. Why don't you just ease up? They'll like you, I'm sure of that."

Brooke just gave him a sly smile, "I don't know, tell me about your sister again...please!"

Ethan just smiled, "Alright, there's my older sister Bridget who's so career-focused. She considers any guy as a mere distraction. Then, there's the youngest in the family, Nicole. She's Bridge's complete opposite. She's crazy about guys..."

"Like me," Brooke continued with a smile.

Ethan looked at her with concern, "I thought that all changed."

Brooke giggled as she leaned towards him, "Yeah, it did...when I met you." Taking advantage of the red light, the two kissed passionately before continuing to drive away.

_A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews...you've all given great encouragement for me to keep doing this story. Hope you enjoy this one! I hope to hear from all of you again! =)_


	10. The Nearness of You

Chapter 10: The Nearness of You

Peyton walked along the school's hallway as she headed to her class. She kept scanning the area for one person. She felt the need to see him, she just knew she had to. Suddenly she heard someone calling her.

"Peyton," Sean called out as he went over to her.

Peyton knew it wasn't the guy she wanted to see, but she turned around and greeted him nevertheless, "Hey Sean, what's up?"

Sean took a piece of paper out of his bag and handed it to her, "Well, I just wrote this song and I thought you might 'wanna check it out.

Peyton smiled as she nodded, "Alright, I don't think I'd have much to say about it though. I have absolutely no idea what makes a good song."

Sean just laughed, "Hey, no problem...music is subjective anyway."

Peyton just laughed. Although she admits that Sean may be coming to her too strong, she also couldn't help but admire that. _"He's not scared..."_ she thought as she looked at him.

Meanwhile, Lucas was hurriedly making his way to class. He was determined to keep his jealousy at bay. He had a critical basketball practice later and he needs to be fully concentrated into the game. _"Stop thinking about her,"_ he ordered himself as he hastily made his way to class. The last thing he needed was trouble with grouchy, old Ms. Wringley.

Suddenly, something made him stop dead on his tracks. He stood in silence as he caught sight of a girl that has been on his mind all morning. On the other side of the hallway was Peyton with her golden curls carefully tucked behind her ears. She was laughing, apparently enjoying a conversation. _"Who is she with?"_ he asked himself as he tried to look at he person she was with.

His heart sank when he saw it was Sean that Peyton was laughing with. He knew it wouldn't be right but somehow, he felt like punching the guy. He felt even more terrible when he saw Sean handing her a paper. _"He gives her a love letter now?" _he wondered as he found himself staring at them in silence. Suddenly, he realized he would not want Peyton to see him. He took a heavy sigh. _"I guess I'll see you in class,"_ he said to her in his mind. With that, he immediately ran off...

From the corner of her eyes, she continued to search the crowd for a guy she's been hoping to meet up with. _"Where is he?"_ she asked herself as she tried to pretend she was listening to Sean by giving him constant laughs. Soon, she said good-bye as she rushed herself to class. She started walking towards her class again when felt the need to do something. She stopped and turned around once more as she tried to look for him for the last time. Sensing he won't be there, she sighed as she kept walking. _"I guess I'll see you in class,"_ she thought to herself as she slowed her pace down in disappointment.

Haley was fixing her stuff in the locker when she heard a familiar voice. "Hey Hales," greeted Nathan as he walked over to her.

Haley looked up and smiled when she saw Nathan, "Hey Nate, what's up?"

Nathan just shrugged as he returned the smile, "Not much, I was 'gonna head to the library. You 'wanna come along?"

Haley's eyes widened with disbelief, "Nathan Scott going to the library? Since when did this happen?"

Nathan just laughed, "Since I realized that my coach is serious about keeping our grades up."

Haley just smiled, "Well, it's good to know you're taking care of your academics."

Nathan nodded, "Am I making you proud?"

Haley gave him a very sincere smile, "More than you know."

"Nathan Scott," called out a man who was walking towards Nathan and Haley.

Nathan turned to see his coach approaching them. "Oh, hi Coach!"

Coach Fowler stopped beside the Haley and Nathan. He looked at Haley and immediately realized something, "Weren't you the girl..."

Haley just laughed as she looked down in embarrassment, "Yeah, that was me. I'm Haley, by the way."

Coach Fowler smiled at her, "And I'm Mr. Fowler, Nathan's coach. Looking at the uneasy look on Haley's face, he realized he shouldn't bring up what he saw during practice the other day so he didn't bother to ask anymore. He then turned his attention to his player,"Son, I need you and your brother to show up to practice a bit earlier."

Nathan looked at the man curiously, "Sure coach, something wrong?"

Coach Fowler shook his head with a grave expression on his face, clearly something was wrong. He let a heavy sigh, "Two of my best players were stupid enough to go swimming in the lake on a cold night. They caught the flu and wouldn't be able to play. So, we need to rework the play."

Nathan nodded as his coach went on, "I was thinking you could work on doing fade-aways..."

Haley suddenly laughed quite audibly that both guys just turned to look at her, "I'm sorry...it's just that Nathan isn't really good at shooting a fade-away, Lucas is. If this guy right here can have things his way on court, he'd be doing lay-ups."

The coach stood there looking stunned, "I'm quite impressed by your observations, Haley. How did you know that?"

Haley laughed, "It's quite simple really....I am...I mean, I was Nathan's girlfriend." She felt quite embarrassed by her slight mistake and couldn't look at Nathan.

Nathan just grinned at her. _"I guess there's still a chance for us,"_ he excitedly said to himself.

Lucas couldn't think of anything else but what he just saw. It bothered him so much he wasn't paying attention at all to his class. Brooke was seated right beside him, feeling completely bored. "Hey Luke, do you think Ethan's parents will like me?" she asked Lucas who was trying to scribble something on his paper.

Lucas looked at her and smiled, "What's there not to like?"

Brooke looked at him with a serious expression on her face, "Well, I don't know..." She let out a heavy sigh, "I love him so much, Luke. I don't 'wanna screw it with his parents."

Lucas grinned at her, "Then just keep your eyes off his dad."

Brooke playfully poked him in the arm as she laughed, "I would never think of screwing up his dad!"

Lucas just laughed as Brooke grinned at him, "At least now, there's a smile on your face. I was beginning to think you lost someone when you walked in."

Lucas' smile faded slightly as he sighed, "You know, I'm starting to feel like I just might."

The day felt like a drag to Lucas. The image of Peyton with Sean has been running in his mind all day. Before he knew it, it was time for his literature class. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see Peyton anymore. _"What am I 'gonna tell her? Hi Peyton, guess you're with Sean now!"_ he told himself in his mind.

Luckily, Peyton wasn't around yet when he stepped into the classroom. He found himself an empty seat by the window. _"If I feel uneasy, I'll just look out the window...maybe even jump off it,"_ he thought as he tried to find calmness in the serenity of the view outside.

He was beginning to admire the green field surrounded with big trees and a colorful array of flowers, when he heard someone talk to him. "Hey Luke, mind if I sit next to you," Peyton asked with a smile on her face. She's been looking forward to her literature class all day.

Lucas looked up and was immediately lost in Peyton's smile. "Uhh..sure," he stammered as he smiled back sheepishly.

Peyton started to read a book once she settled onto her seat. Meanwhile, Lucas kept stealing glances at her. Finally, he felt the need to ask her something. "So, are you hanging out with Sean a lot?"

Peyton laughed as she turned to him, "Um, no...I ran into him this morning though. Now, I have to critique a song!"

Lucas looked pretty relieved, "Oh...I didn't know you're a song critique now too."

Peyton smiled at him, "Nah, I still would just rather draw."

Lucas was about to comment when their professor walked in. Professor Jennings walked to his desk and settled a pile of papers on his desk. Clearing his throat, he began his class, "I have an assignment for you that will be due by next week. I need you to find a poem by a famous poet that gives an idea as to how you feel about something or someone."

There were a lot sighs from the class, but soon, they have all gone silent as he began his lesson. Lucas listened intently and so did Peyton. From time to time, however, she would steal a glance at the boy whose face has been etched on her mind for the longest time...


	11. Beyond Expectations

_A/N: I really 'wanna thank everyone who has given me reviews...I hope you keep reading! Enjoy! =)_

Chapter 11: Beyond Expectations

It's 6 'o clock in the morning on a Saturday. Both Haley and Peyton were sound asleep. All dressed to go out, Brooke carefully opened the door to Peyton's room and slowly tiptoed her way inside. She gently sneaked herself onto her best friend's and slid under the covers. _"Just like old times,"_ she thought smilingly as she remembered the times when she would do the same thing with her back when they were young. Whenever something was bothering her, Brooke would usually sneak into Peyton's house and lie down beside her in her bedroom. They would talk throughout the night until she felt better. It has always worked for Brooke and that morning, she was hoping it would work just as well.

As she expected, Peyton sensed that she was not alone in bed and opened her eyes. Brooke smiled as she did, "Hey girlfriend!"

Peyton just smiled, "Brooke...what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on the road by now?"

Brooke gave her a sly smile, "I'm just waiting for Ethan. He said he'll pick up a few things before heading here..." She took a deep sigh, "I'm scared, Peyt. I know I'm supposed to be excited and happy, but...I'm just so nervous."

Peyton just laughed, "You do know that worrying will just give you wrinkles, right?"

Brooke just smiled, "Ethan told me time and time again that there is nothing to worry about but...I got this feeling that I should expect the unexpected."

Peyton just laughed even more, "C'mon Brooke, this is no CSI."

Brooke whined softly, "But I don't think it's a no-brainer either! Peyton, I'm serious...there's something...fishy about to happen."

Peyton looked at her friend intently as she put a hand on her shoulder, "Well, if there is...I'm sure that you and Ethan can get through it."

Brooke gave her friend a grateful smile. Suddenly, they heard a familiar honk outside their apartment. Brooke's face was suddenly full of excitement as she sat up and peered at the window from Peyton's room. "That's him," she exclaimed.

Peyton nodded as she smiled, "You go along. See you when you get back!"

Brooke nodded as she gave as she grinned at her friend, "Yeah, I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

With that, Brooke hurriedly walked downstairs and into Ethan's car. As for Peyton, she remained lying down under her covers and was determined to go back to sleep.

About two hours later, Nathan and Lucas were going around the streets in Nathan's Mustang. Lucas suddenly turned to his brother, "Are you sure this is a good idea."

Nathan turned to Lucas from the corner of his eyes, "Yeah...I mean, it's a weekend and we all could use a bit of fun!"

Lucas just laughed, "I don't know, man. They might get annoyed at us, showing up this early in the morning!"

Nathan grinned, "Maybe not if we bring them breakfast!"

Lucas smiled as he nodded, "Alright, good idea."

The two stopped by a coffee shop by the corner and grabbed some coffee and a box of donuts. As they walked out, Lucas felt his spirits soar once again. He felt that the weekend will go well for him. Meanwhile, Nathan couldn't help but let a grin creep into the corners of his mouth. He knew this was a good idea.

The Scott brothers got back into the car with four cups of coffees and a mouthwatering box of freshly made donuts. It was a sunny morning and both Nathan and Lucas believed their day was about to get even brighter.

They parked beside a 2-storey apartment by the road. The two immediately stepped out of the Mustang and walked to the door. "I hope they're up," said Lucas as he rang the doorbell. The two waited patiently outside for someone to answer the door.

Haley was surprised to hear the doorbell ringing so early in the morning. _"Damn, just when I'm finally able to get some sleep,"_ she annoyingly thought as she realized someone was at the door. She dragged herself out of bed and put her robe on as she made her way downstairs.

She didn't even bother to look at the peephole, she just wanted to entertain whoever it is so she'd be able to go back to sleep. As she opened the door, she was surprised to see the Scott brothers smiling in front of her. _"What the..."_ she thought with surprise.

"Good morning, buddy!" Lucas greeted as he leaned over to give Haley a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi Hales!" greeted Nathan with a wave of a hand.

"What are you guys doing here at 8 in the morning?" Haley asked with a surprised smile on her face.

Nathan smiled at her. "Um well...we planned to surprise you. Hey, we got you breakfast," he explained as he held up the box of donuts.

Before she could say anything, Lucas handed her a cup of coffee, "So, can we come in?"

Suddenly, Haley heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Hales, who is it? It can't be Brooke."

Hales looked down as she laughed and turned towards Peyton's direction, "You're right, it isn't. It's breakfast."

Brooke rested her head on Ethan's shoulder as they drove through a spectacular view of green fields. "Oh, this is so beautiful," Brooke remarked as she smiled with much satisfaction.

Ethan smiled, "Yeah, it is. Just like you."

Brooke gave him a light kiss on the cheek and whispered, "I could get used to this, you know."

Ethan just laughed, "Good, then I can start scheduling our future trips to my family's ranch."

Soon, the wonderful-looking ranch of Ethan's family appeared from the window. Brooke just looked at it in awe, "You know...this is even better than the pictures."

Ethan smiled and placed a hand in hers, "Well, it looks much better inside."

As they pulled into the driveway, they were welcomed by Ethan's mother who was standing by the driveway with a big smile on her face. As Ethan stepped out of the car, he rushed immediately over to his mother. "Mom, it's so good to see you," exclaimed Ethan as he gave his mom a big hug and kiss on the cheek.

Ethan's mom just laughed, "Oh Ethan, I've missed you so much!"

Brooke just stood by the car, watching Ethan and his mother. _"This must be a pretty tight knit family,"_ she thought as she looked on.

It wasn't long before Ethan approached her and led her by the arm to his mom. "Mom, this is my girlfriend Brooke. Baby, this is my mom," he said as he introduced two of the most significant women in his life to one another.

Ethan's mom smiled at Brooke as she reached over to give her a hug, "Welcome to the family, darling. You can call me Carmen."

Brooke smiled gratefully, "This is such a good place. Thank you so much for inviting me over, Carmen."

With that, the two women walked into the house while Ethan got the bags from the trunk of his car. Carmen led Brooke by the hand as they walked into the living room. "I want you meet Ethan's sisters," she said as she turned to her with a pleased smiled on her face.

A girl was seated on the couch with her feet propped up on the table as she flipped through some magazines. She didn't bother to look up when she heard her mom enter the room.

"Bridge, I want you to meet Ethan's girlfriend, Brooke. Dear, this is Bridget," said Carmen as she introduced the two.

Bridget looked up as she remained seated. She smiled at Brooke, "Hey, it's great to finally meet you. We've heard so much about you."

Brooke smiled graciously at Bridget, "Thanks, Ethan's told me quite a lot of stuff about you too."

Bridget suddenly looked intriguingly at her brother's girlfriend, "Really? What did Ethan tell you about me?"

"That you're a self-centered man-hater!" exclaimed Ethan as she joined the women in the living room.

Bridget smiled as she saw her brother. She rushed over to him and gave him a hug. Breaking away, she suddenly gave him a playful punch on the arm, "It's career-centered, not self-centered, bro!"

Ethan just laughed, "Aren't they supposed to mean the same thing?"

"Yeah sis, Ethan's right," remarked another girl coming down the staircase.

Ethan's smile grew wider as he met the girl from the lowest step of the staircase, "It's good to see you, Nick!"

Nicole just grinned at his older brother, "Yeah, I missed you Ethan!"

At that time, Brooke was having a little chat with Carmen and didn't really notice Nicole coming from downstairs. Ethan and Nicole walked towards Brooke. "Baby," Ethan began, "I want you meet my youngest sister..."

"Nikki?" Brooke said as if to finish Ethan sentence.

Nikki smiled at Brooke knowingly, "Hey Brooke, good to see you."

Ethan looked quite surprised as he looked from one girl to the other, "You two know each other."

Nikki continued to look at Brooke knowingly, "We sure do..."

Meanwhile, Peyton, Haley, Lucas and Nathan were enjoying a delightful morning with coffee and donuts in the girls' breakfast table. "So, what exactly are guys up to today? You plan to just hang out here all day?" asked Peyton before she took another bite of her donut.

Lucas shook his head and took a sip of his coffee, "Um...not exactly." He turned to his brother with a knowing smile.

Nathan understood and grinned at the two girls, "We thought we could do something fun together...after all, we can't just let a good weekend go to waste, right?"

Haley looked at Nathan intriguingly, "And just what did you have in mind, Nate?"

Nathan smiled at her in a know-it-all fashion, "Just trust us...it's 'gonna be fun."


	12. Closer

Chapter 12: Closer

Brooke didn't know what to say. She remembered the time when she first met Nikki. They got along pretty well until she learned that Nikki is Jenny's mother. Brooke has always believed that there is nothing worse than a parent abandoning a child. She's has always been fond of Jenny and she would do anything to protect the sweet four-year old that she and the rest of her Tree Hill friends have come to love. For her boyfriend's sake, Brooke faked a smile to his youngest sister. "Good to see you, Nikki," she greeted as she put her arms around Ethan's waist. She felt safer from Nikki that way.

Nikki just looked at her as if trying to see if Brooke knows something that she should. Nevertheless, she gave a fake smile herself, "You too, Brooke. I'm glad we get to spend the weekend together..." She paused and looked straight into Brooke's eyes before she went on, "You know...catch up on old times."

Brooke gave a sweet innocent smile as the rest watched the two girls', "Yeah, that would be...fun."

"Where are we going, Nate?" asked Haley intriguingly as she sat in Nathan's car.

"Just relax, Hales and enjoy the ride. Don't you trust me?" Nathan asked as he gave her a naughty grin.

Haley just laughed, "Do I look like I do?" She's always been amused every time he does that. _"Damn, him and his sexy grins,"_ she thought as she kept smiling at him.

They were silent for a moment when suddenly Nathan spoke up, "You know...it's good to finally have a girl in my passenger seat for a change."

Haley just looked at him in disbelief, "What do you mean? I bet, you took some cheerleaders for a ride in this Mustang of yours!"

Nathan just laughed, "That's where your wrong, Lucas has been the only person occupying that seat since...well, you."

Haley poked him playfully in the arm, "Don't try to flatter me, Mr. Scott. There must have been other girls who rode with you during the summer. Maybe...you just forgot their names!"

Nathan looked at her with a serious expression on his face, "I mean it Hales, there has been no one else since...you."

Haley looked out onto the road and gave a nervous laugh, "Well, I don't know what to say to that."

After another moment of awkward silence, Nathan decided to ask her something he's been too scared to know the answer to, "How about you? Did you date anyone last summer?"

Haley shook her head firmly. "I've been pretty busy," she explained, still avoiding eye contact with him.

Nathan just nodded as he kept his eyes on the road, "Are you dating anyone now?"

Haley shook her head again, "Nope, I'm still pretty busy. Besides, Peyton and I both realized that being single could be so much fun."

Nathan just laughed. _"I don't know if I can say the same about me,"_ he sadly thought as he continued to drive.

Lucas would steal glances at Peyton as she drove them in her Beetle. As she turned in a curb, Peyton decided to speak up, "So, what exactly did you guys have in mind for today?"

Lucas just laughed, "It's Nathan's idea actually but, I'm sure you'll like it."  
Peyton laughed, "I'm not really sure about that. Back when we were still dating, I didn't exactly like all the surprises he's pulled on me."

Lucas nodded in agreement. He clearly understood what she meant, "Yeah, he pulled some of those surprises on me too."

Peyton gave him a sly smile, "You two really have come so far. I mean, I never expected you guys would actually become...civil...even brotherly towards each other.

Lucas smiled at her, "Well, Haley really affected us in ways we never expected her to...so did you."

Peyton looked at him surprised, "Me?"

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, you and Haley were the two girls we both cared about..."Lucas felt unsure whether to continue or not, but he stammered his words out anyway, "You...you were the reason why I came back to Tree Hill."

Peyton just gave Lucas a sly smile, "Well, we're all glad that you came back, Luke." She turned away, feeling quite uneasy.

Brooke thought about helping out in the kitchen while her boyfriend was talking to her mom in the living room. As she stepped in, she realized offering her assistance at that time was not such a good idea. Nikki was hanging out in the kitchen. She was munching on some cookies as she diced up some vegetables. _"Suddenly, this weekend is turning out to be a disaster, "_Brooke thought as she walked in.

Nikki looked up and smiled slyly at her, "You might 'wanna grab an apron. Things can get quite a mess in here."

Brooke nodded as she put an apron, "Yeah, I know things can get messy when you're around."

Nikki looked at her with a dead serious expression on her face, "Look Brooke, I didn't mean to leave Jenny the way I did...I didn't mean to show up like that on Jake either."

Brooke gave her a haughty laugh, "You mean, show up to Tree Hill after a century and kidnap Jenny."

Nikki's voice grew louder, "She is my daughter."

Brooke looked at her raised eyebrows, "Wrong, she was your daughter."

Nikki went near her looking furious, "What the hell do you care anyway? This is between me and Jake."

Brooke fumed at her, "Jake happens to be a good friend of mine. I've seen how he's taken care of her, Nikki. Trust me, their lives....are much, much better without you."

Nikki gave Brooke a devilish grin, "Not for long...Jake would have to deal with me again very soon...I'll make sure he doesn't jump into a boat this time."

Brooke gave her another haughty laugh, "Don't worry, he doesn't have to run away from you this time. Jenny's old enough to say who she wants to stay with anyway." With that, Brooke turned her back defiantly on Nikki and strut her way out of the kitchen.

Nikki was left with a smug look on her face as she continued to cut the vegetables. _"I will have Jenny, no one can stop me this time,"_ she angrily thought.

Brooke was so upset that she didn't even realize she was running into Ethan already. Ethan immediately put his arms around her, "Whoa...slow down, what's wrong babe?"

Trying her best to hide what had just happened, Brooke did her best to smile at him, "Nothing baby, I'm just a little...dizzy. I think I need to lie down for awhile."

Ethan smiled as he gave her a passionate kiss and whispered into her ear, "Well, I can stay with you if you want."

Brooke just giggled, "Sounds tempting...we might never be able to come down for dinner though."

Ethan pulled her closer to him that she could smell his aftershave, "Well, we've got something more scrumptious than dinner anyway."

Brooke just smiled, "I like it when you go crazy."

Ethan laughed, "What can I say? I'm crazy about you, Brooke." With that, he scooped her up into his strong arms and carried his giggling girlfriend upstairs. Brooke felt very lucky to have Ethan in her life. Suddenly, she completely forgot the confrontation she just had. _"For as long as we're together, I can deal with anything else...even Nikki,"_ she firmly told herself as she rested her head on Ethan's broad shoulders.

Nathan parked the car in front of an invitingly empty basketball court. Haley just looked at him with a curious smile, "What are we doing in a basketball court, Nate?"

Nathan just smiled at her knowingly, "Just come down and trust me, Hales."

Meanwhile, Peyton had just parked her Beetle and was coming out of the car with Lucas. "Now are you 'gonna tell me what you guys are up to?" asked Peyton as she looked at Lucas intriguingly.

Lucas just shrugged as they walked towards Nathan and Haley.

When the four have finally met up, Nathan finally gave the girls a little explanation, "Me and Lucas realized that back in high school, you both were pretty lousy with basketball so...we thought we could try to change that this afternoon."

Haley just laughed, "This isn't fun, Nathan! You know I can't even make a decent free throw."

Lucas grinned at his longtime buddy, "Exactly...c'mon Hales, it will be fun."

Nathan turned to Peyton, "So Peyt, what do you say?"

Peyton just shrugged, "Basketball's cool...but you guys have to do something we like too."

Haley suddenly made a devilish grin as she and Peyton knowingly met eyes, "Yeah, it's only fair."

Nathan and Lucas turned to each other. "Alright, you're on," said Lucas with a curious nod.

Nathan went to get a basketball from the trunk of his Mustang. As he returned, he looked intently at his three friends, "Alright, Peyton goes with Luke and Hales...you're with me."

Hales nodded as she smiled at him.

Lucas nodded at his brother, "Alright, first to score 10 wins."

Nathan gave him an arrogant laugh, "Just 10?"

Lucas just laughed, "Don't be so confident now, bro...remember Peyton's on my side."

Peyton playfully shoved Nathan's arm, "That's right, hot shot! Better watch out!"

Soon, the game began. Nathan had the ball first. He was dribbling it towards the hoop for his favorite lay-up. However, Lucas wasn't making it easy for him. He was guarding him so well that he was forced to pass the ball to Haley. Before Haley could catch it, though, Peyton intercepted the pass mid-air and threw it to the hoop for an easy shot.

Peyton and Lucas knocked fists. "You go Peyton!" cheered Lucas as he continued run around the court.

Nathan ran up to Haley and looked intently at her, "C'mon Hales, we can still beat them."

Haley looked at him with desperation, "But I can't shoot, Nate."

Nathan smiled at her knowingly, "You can, Hales...and you will, trust me." He winked at her before heading back to where Lucas was standing.

Lucas let Nathan have the ball. He dribbled it once more and passed it onto Haley. This time, Haley was able to catch it before Peyton was able to intercept the pass again. _"What am I 'gonna do? I can't shoot!"_ she asked herself in a panic.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms around her waist. Before she could react, Nathan had already lifted her and had taken her to the hoop. "C'mon Hales, put it in!" he instructed her as he supported her body with his arms.

Haley did what she was told, enabling them to score their first point. "Alright!" exclaimed Haley as she watched the ball fall from the ring. She was so happy that she wrapped her arms around Nathan's neck for a hug. It didn't take long before they both felt awkward and Nathan let her down. He gave her a sly smile, "C'mon, we 'gotta game to win."

Haley just nodded as she realized how much she has missed feeling Nathan's arms around her. _"That felt good," _she remarked to herself. She was still caught up in what had just occurred that she didn't realize she just gave Peyton another easy basket.

Peyton ran wildly again, "Alright, we're winning!" She knocked fists once more with Lucas.

"Looks like I just have to keep passing the ball to you," remarked Lucas to his teammate.

Peyton just laughed, "I can shoot for as long as Nathan doesn't guard me." As Lucas went back to Nathan's side, Peyton turned to Haley, "Hey, great play you two had there awhile ago."

Haley just laughed, "Yeah, I guess so...I made a shot!"

Soon, they found themselves enjoying the game. Both teams continued to make one basket to another.

Suddenly, they let Haley have the ball who immediately threw it to Nathan for a lay-up. "Go Nathan!" cheered Haley as they knocked fists with each other.

Nathan grinned at his brother, "C'mon man, game's not yet over!"

Lucas just laughed, "It would soon be for you, man!"

Peyton had the ball this time and was about to shoot when Nathan suddenly ran over to guard her. Realizing she won't be able to shoot, she immediately threw the ball to Lucas who immediately did a fade-away. Peyton squealed in delight as the ball went in. She ran to Lucas and found herself jumping into his arms. "We did it!" exclaimed Peyton as she found herself face to face with Lucas.

Lucas just grinned, "We could sure use a girl like you in the team!"

The two just laughed in each other's arms until they realized that Nathan and Haley were staring at them. Awkwardly, they let go. Peyton just looked down with a sly smile while Lucas scratched his head.

"So, what do you girls 'wanna do?" asked Nathan as he put the basketball back inside the trunk.

Peyton and Haley just looked at each other with a devilish grin.

Brooke rested her head on Ethan's chest as Ethan smoothed her hair gently. They were hanging out on the porch in the back of the house. Ethan was pretty sure no one would disturb them there. "I'm really glad you came here, baby. Now, my mom could see for herself what a wonderful girl my girlfriend is," said Ethan as he kissed her softly.

Brooke just smiled, "You have a wonderful family, Ethan...I wish my mom was a little like her. You know...caring, thoughtful...just like...a mother."

Ethan turned to face Brooke as he continued to smooth her hair, "I'm sure your mom loves you, Brooke. I don't see how anyone can afford not to love you."

Brooke just laughed as she touched her face, "Well, if my mom loves me...she sure has a bizarre way of showing it. I only see her long enough for her to give me more money."

They stayed close to each other in peaceful silence for awhile until Brooke spoke up, "How are you with your sisters?"

Ethan laughed for awhile before answering, "Bridget and I talk a lot, we've been pretty close since we were young."

Brooke suddenly got intrigued, "What about Nikki?"

Ethan shook his head as he laughed, "Nikki never stays in one place long enough. She's the wild one in the family, sleeping with guys she barely knows and all. One time, she even disappeared for about 7 months. She said she was staying with her boyfriend and things were getting serious between them when she caught him with another girl."

Brooke just nodded as she thought about what her boyfriend had just said. _"You mean she got him caught up with a baby girl,"_ she thought.

_A/N: I know my updating is 'kinda slow. As I said before, I do each chapter as the story comes to my head. Just the same, I hope you all like it! =)_


	13. Trying to Tell You

Chapter 13: Trying to Tell You...

Nathan turned to Lucas with a bewildered expression on his face. "What were we thinking?" he exclaimed to his brother as they walked behind the girls.

Lucas just laughed, "C'mon, I bet it won't be so bad."

The four of them have just come out of the parking lot. Nathan and Lucas were walking behind the girls, both quite unsure about what the girls had in mind. Nathan looked intently at the place Haley and Peyton were heading for, "I actually thought you two were going to drag us on a shopping trip of some sort."

Peyton just laughed as she continued to walk, "Well if Brooke were here, that's probably what we would be doing right now. Since it's just me and Haley, we can skip that part and do something else."

"What is this place anyway?" asked Lucas as he looked around.

Haley turned to face him with a knowing smile, "It's one you have never been to, Luke."

Lucas just looked at Haley with a grin, "Haha...is that your way of making things mysterious, Ms James?"

Peyton just laughed, "C'mon you guys, it would be fun."

As they reached a building, Peyton and Haley immediately headed downstairs. Both Lucas and Nathan looked at each other with a puzzled expression on their faces. Nevertheless, they followed the girls downstairs. Peyton and Haley just looked up for a moment to see if the guys were still behind them. Seeing the two on their way down, they opened the door and went in. Before going in, the sign on the door caught Nathan's eyes. It said THE CRIB. Nathan turned to his brother, "Dare we go in?"

Lucas just laughed as he nodded. He entered the place after Nathan.

As the two guys entered, Nathan and Lucas were surprised to find a lot of people inside in the middle of the afternoon. There was a group performing on a small stage while the crowd cheered on while downing bottles and bottles of beer. They found Haley and Peyton already relaxing in one of the oversized couches in the room and quickly joined them. "We didn't think you'd find us!" shouted Peyton over the noise from the crowd.

Both Nathan and Lucas just grinned at them since there was no use talking. The crowd was so loud that anything they say could not be possibly heard. Peyton and Haley were clearly having a good time. With a bottle of beer in their hands, they eagerly listened to the music and cheered with the crowd.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Nathan were having a minor case of culture shock as they tried to absorb everything that was going on around them.

Suddenly, the noise turned down a bit, making it possible to have an audible conversation. Peyton took this time to give the guys a little idea of the place. "Hales and I discovered this place when we were applying for Anne Dale U..." she began.

"We were looking for a place to chill out and we ended up here_,"_ continued Haley as she turned her attention back to the band. Meanwhile, Nathan couldn't help but stare at her. _"I don't mind going here a lot if it means being with her," _he told himself as he continued to stare at Haley who was obviously enjoying the performance.

Peyton smiled at Haley, "Yeah...anyway, this is one of those hang-outs for underground artists. It's really good. We come here a lot...especially when Brooke's not around."

After another performance, Haley clapped her hands and then sipped into her beer. Nathan suddenly turned to her, "When will I see you up there?"

Haley just laughed, "C'mon Nate, I told you...I only sing to myself."

"And me..."Nathan added as he found himself going back to the day when Haley sang for him in Karen's Café to make him feel a little better.

Haley just smiled, "Yeah, I bared my soul to you there."

Nathan just laughed, "Well, you bared your soul pretty good...I think the rest of the people here would love to see you do it too."

Haley playfully poked his arm, "Don't make a joke out of me, Nathan!"

Nathan just shook his head, "I'm not Hales, you're a great singer."

Peyton gave Haley a gentle nudge on the arm, "Yeah Hales, you can sing. If you decide to make your own record, I'll draw your album cover."

Haley smiled at Peyton, "Thanks Peyt, but I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon."

They continued to listen to the music. As they did, Lucas tried to sense how Peyton really feels about things...school, her dad, her friends and him. Seeing here intently listening to the song that was being played. He tried to make sense of its lyrics:

I'm really tired of hiding

But I don't know what to do

I know I'm hurting

Because I love you

Please give me a reason

To think 'bout you painlessly

Give me a reason

To give you all of me

I'm going crazy

Don't know what to do

So give me a reason

To say I love you

"_Give me a reason to not lose hope, Peyt,"_ he told her in his mind.

Peyton could feel Lucas' eyes on her, making her unable to glance his way. The song was perfect, it reflected how she felt about Lucas. _"Please give me a reason to say I love you,"_ she told him in her head.

After awhile, Peyton turned to the guys, "You guys ready to go?"

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, I think I'm losing my hearing already."

Haley just laughed. Nathan turned to the girls before he stood up, "So, this is all you're getting us into?"

Haley and Peyton exchange devilish grin. "Actually Nate, this is just one part of it," said Haley as she stood up.

Peyton just laughed, "Let's go back to our place."

Suddenly, Carmen walked into the back porch, holding a plate of cookies. "Hey, I hope I'm not interrupting anything here," greeted Carmen as she set the plate on the table in front of Ethan and Brooke.

Ethan just laughed, "Of course not, mom."

Brooke sat up and smiled at Carmen, "Yeah...care to join us?"

Ethan suddenly stood up, "You two just hang out while I go make a few phone calls." Ethan waved at his girlfriend and his mother before he went inside the house.

Carmen smiled gratefully at them and sat down, "Oh, it's such an interesting day. I finally got to meet you."

Brooke just laughed, "And I finally got to meet you and the rest of Ethan's family. Speaking of interesting, you got really interesting daughters."

Carmen just laughed, "Bridget is so career-focused. She could care less about dating, she doesn't even care about growing old alone. Nikki, on the other hand..." She took a deep sigh before she continued, "Nikki always gets herself into trouble. Her dad used to call her a free spirit. She just comes and goes. She's had a lot of boyfriends and God knows what else she's up to."

Brooke just gave a sly smile, "Ethan mentioned to me that she was gone for 7 months at one time."

Carmen let out another heavy sigh, "Oh yeah, she got us worried there. She never talked about what happened to her during that time. She just said she ended her relationship with this boyfriend of hers."

Brooke gave Carmen a sympathetic smile, "You must feel pretty bad, not knowing what's happened to her."

Carmen let out a laugh, "Actually, I feel worse about not knowing how to deal with her."

Brooke a hand on Carmen's arm, "I'm sure some things will come out of the dark pretty soon."

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" exclaimed Nathan as he stood in the girls' kitchen. He was wearing a bright pink apron that the girls found in Brooke's closet.

Lucas just laughed, "Well that makes the two of us." He had a white apron on with a huge smiley face print in front.

The guys had a bowl in front of each other. Packages of flour, baking soda, baking powder and chocolate chips were on the table along with a carton of eggs. "You guys doing okay in there," called out Peyton from the living room.

"You guys better make sure you don't burn the kitchen down," added Haley as she giggled and continued to watch movies with Peyton.

The girls have set the two guys up in the kitchen. Haley pulled out a chocolate chip cookie recipe that Karen had given her before she left the Tree Hill. Peyton and Haley thought they'd give the guys a shot at baking. "Hales, do we have a fire extinguisher in this apartment," asked Peyton all of a sudden.

Haley smiled at her a she pulled the fire extinguisher beside here, "Right here and ready to go!"

Back in the kitchen, the two guys were doing all they can to make a nice, big batch of chocolate chip cookies. While they were mixing the dough, Nathan suddenly stood still for awhile and looked intently at what he was mixing. _"There's something missing here,"_ he thought.

After finishing a movie, Haley was about to call out to the guys again when they suddenly emerged from the kitchen with a plate of cookies each. _"Ladies, here is the best batch of cookies you've ever tasted,"_ said Nathan as he marched into the living room.

Lucas just laughed as he followed his brother.

Haley and Peyton looked impressively at the two as they approached them. "It's good to know you didn't burn our kitchen down," said Peyton as Lucas set a plate of cookies down in front of her.

Meanwhile, Nathan sat beside Haley and held his plate of cookies towards her. "I made these extra special for you, try it," Nathan said proudly as he offered the cookies to Haley.

With an intrigued smile, Haley took a cookie from Nathan's plate. After taking a bite, her eyes widened with delight, "Chocolate chip cookies with raisin...Nathan, you remembered!"

Nathan just laughed, "I haven't forgotten at all, Hales. I also happen to remember that you like these with..."

"Vanilla ice cream!" exclaimed Haley as she finished Nathan's sentence. _"Oh, that's pretty sweet of him,"_ she said to herself. She can't believe he hasn't forgotten the simple things that make her smile. _"That's one thing that made me fall for him,"_ she suddenly reminded herself.

Peyton smiled at the two, "You know what, I think we still have some vanilla ice cream in there. I'll go get us some."

Immediately, Lucas stood up, "I'll go help you."

Once they were in the kitchen, Peyton began rummaging through the freezer. Meanwhile, Lucas stood on the other side with his arms crossed as he leaned on the countertop. "You sure you still got some in there? We could just...go out a buy one if you want," offered Lucas when he noticed that Peyton was having a hard time looking for it in the freezer.

Peyton turned to him and smiled, "That's alright, I know it's just here somewhere."

Lucas nodded and smiled, "So, any idea what poem you're reciting in class?"

Peyton kept rummaging through the freezer as she laughed, "Actually, I just might deliver some famous lines from the Rolling Stones or something."

Lucas just laughed, "I'm not sure if he'd appreciate that though!"

"Well, he's just 'gonna have to give me a grade based on that," she exclaimed as she continued to look for the ice cream.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them for quite some time. Lucas let himself stare at Peyton as she continued to rummage through freezer. "You know we can really just go to that store around the corner," Lucas suggested as he started scanning the freezer himself.

"I really know it's here...somewhere," Peyton said as she began moving around some items in the freezer to have a better look.

Suddenly, Lucas realized something was about to fall from the freezer and hit Peyton's head. "Peyton..."he called out as he grabbed her and puller her away from the freezer.

Peyton didn't realize what was happening. She just found herself facing Lucas with his arms around her. She immediately felt drawn to him, forgetting about everything else. _"Those eyes..."_she thought as she looked deep into Lucas eyes that was also looking deep into hers. Before she further drifted in her thoughts, they heard something hit the floor. As they turned, they saw a tub of vanilla ice cream on the floor.

They both turned to each other and laughed. "And there's your ice cream..." Lucas remarked as he smiled at her.

Peyton just nodded and smiled, "Yeah...I guess so."

All of a sudden, Haley emerged into the kitchen, "Hey, we heard that thump in here. Is everything...okay?" She suddenly stopped in her tracks when she saw her friends with their arms around each other.

Peyton and Lucas both smiled at her, wondering what she was surprised about. "Yeah...we found the ice cream," explained Peyton.

Haley saw the ice cream on the floor and looked at them quizzically, "Yeah, I guess you did...but, you seem to have found each other too."

Peyton and Lucas looked at each other and realized they still had their arms around each other. They immediately pulled away and gave each other a sly smile. Meanwhile, Haley has already left the kitchen and had taken the ice cream tub with her.

Peyton and Lucas looked at each other in awkward silence. After awhile, Peyton spoke up, "I guess...we should..."

"Yeah...after you," Lucas said as he got what Peyton wanted to say. They both headed to the living room.

As Peyton sat beside Haley, she whispered to her, "Peyt, I didn't mean to ruin your moment awhile ago..."

Peyton just smiled at her, "Don't worry Hales, no damage done."

Haley just smiled at her, "Well, for what it's worth...you two looked clearly in love. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

Peyton gave her friend another warm smile. _"If only love is really all that matters,"_ she sadly thought as she let herself steal another glance at Lucas.

_A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I had to write this part again when I didn't quite like the first one I did. Well, let me know what you think. Pls keep those reviews coming! =)_


	14. Slip Away

Chapter 14: Slipping Away

Brooke woke up the next morning with a huge grin on her face. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming," whispered Brooke as she looked at Ethan who was lying beside her with his eyes still closed.

She couldn't help but giggle as she ran a hand on his hair. _"I must have really done something good to deserve a guy like him,"_ she thought as she smiled at the sight of a gorgeous guy lying beside her.

Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she stood up and was about to wash up when she felt a hand pulling her back to bed. As she turned around, she saw Ethan grinning at her. "Good morning, gorgeous," greeted Ethan in his sexy husky morning voice.

Brooke smiled as she leaned over to give him a kiss, "'Morning handsome." After the kiss, Brooke was trying to pull away but Ethan pulled her closer to him, "Where are you going?"

Brooke gave him another kiss, "I'm 'gonna go wash up."

Ethan smiled and nodded, "Don't you 'wanna stay in bed a little longer?"

Brooke just giggled at him, "I would love to, babe...but the smell from the kitchen downstairs is really making me hungry."

Ethan just laughed, "Mom never fails to get anyone's appetite going. You go wash up and we'll go downstairs for breakfast."

Brooke nodded as she headed to the bathroom. Ethan just lay on the bed, looking up to the ceiling with a dreamy smile. _"I could get used to more mornings like this one,"_ he thought. Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He turned to the door in time to see his sister's head at the door.

"Uh...hey," Nikki greeted as she saw her brother still lying on the bed.

"Hey Nick, what's up?" greeted Ethan, surprised that his youngest sister was dropping by his room.

Nikki stood silent for a moment. "Um, you and Brooke....make a really good couple," she managed to say.

"Thanks," Ethan replied with a sly smile.

"I was wondering...did she...ever tell you how we know each other?" asked Nikki casually.

Ethan just shook his head, "No, care to tell me about it?"

Nikki just gave her brother a sly smile, "Maybe some other time. I'll see you two downstairs." With that, she closed the door and left.

"Up so early on a Sunday...what's gotten into you?" greeted Haley as she walked into the kitchen the following morning.

Peyton just laughed as she looked up, "I remembered I had some drawings to finish. I need to pass them early Monday morning."

Haley just nodded as she poured herself a glass of orange juice, "Yesterday was...pretty fun, huh?"

Peyton smiled, "Yeah, it was. I'm glad we went along."

Haley grinned at her, "Me too!"

Peyton suddenly looked intriguingly at Haley, "You seem to have enjoyed every moment of it...what's up with you and Nathan?"

Haley just laughed, "Nothing...we're just...good friends!"

Peyton just laughed, "I agree with Brooke...it won't be long before you two become more than friends again."

Haley looked at her with a bewildered expression on her face, "Whatever gave you that idea? I mean, I was just having fun with Nate yesterday...what about you and Lucas? You two had your arms around each other when I walked in the kitchen yesterday."

Peyton gave her a sly smile, "Nothing, he just tried to pull away from the freezer when he saw the pint of ice cream was about to fall on me."

Haley gave her friend an intrigued smile, "You know, I would have believed you if I didn't see the ice cream already on the floor."

Peyton just sighed, "Okay...you got a point there...but really, we were just... caught in the moment."

Haley just laughed, "Whatever you say!"

"Hey, you 'wanna shoot some hoops today?" asked Lucas as he walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of milk.

Nathan kept his eyes on the newspaper as he answered, "Yeah, sure. Coach said we should practice as much as we can anyway."

Lucas grabbed a chair and settled himself on the kitchen table, "Can you believe this? We're playing college ball now?"

Nathan just laughed as he turned to his brother, "Yeah...hopefully, it would be NBA pretty soon."

Lucas just smiled at his brother, "Yeah...finally get some paychecks and endorsements!"

Nathan nodded, "Damn...that would be the life."

Lucas suddenly had a serious expression on his face, "You think we'd be happy?"

Nathan just shrugged as he let out a heavy sigh, "You know...looking at Haley yesterday, I realized I'm happiest with her."

Lucas let out a sigh himself, "Yeah...I get what you mean."

Nathan suddenly gave a sly smile, "I really wish I could have both."

Lucas smiled at him, "What if you'd have to choose?"

Nathan shrugged again, "I really don't want to...I just can't."

"This is really good, Carmen," remarked Brooke as she helped herself to some more hash browns.

Carmen just smiled, "Well, I'm glad you like it Brooke. It's good to know that Ethan's girlfriend eats."

Bridget just laughed, "Yeah...we were expecting you to look quite anorexic."

Brooke just laughed as she turned to Ethan and put a hand on his, "Ethan takes really good care of me. He never lets me miss a meal."

Ethan smiled as he put an arm around his girlfriend, "That's coz' I find it sexy when she eats."

"You mean you get a kick seeing a dab of sauce on the corners of my mouth!" said Brooke jokingly as she playfully hit Ethan's arm.

"Well...I can't say that I don't!" exclaimed Ethan as he reached into his girlfriend for a kiss while everyone just laughed.

"You two make such a delightful pair," remarked Carmen as she beamed proudly at her son and his girlfriend.

"Didn't I tell you she's the best, mom?" said Ethan as he and Brooke continued to look into each other's eyes.

Brooke smiled as she turned to face Carmen, "I'm really glad to be a part of this family. Carmen, you're one of the greatest mothers I know...

She paused and turned to look at Nikki, "I bet you'd make a great grandmother too."

Peyton was looking around a bookstore when she heard someone call her name. "Peyton?" said Lucas as he approached her.

Peyton turned around and smiled as the sight of Lucas, "Hey!"

Lucas just smiled, "So, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for those famous poets..." Peyton answered as she continued to look through the shelf.

Lucas laughed, "Yeah...me too. Any idea who you're quoting from?"

Peyton shook her head, "I might just go as planned...Rolling Stones!"

Lucas smiled at her, "Well, good for you. I don't have a single one in mind."

They continued to look around for awhile. Peyton was completely absorbed in finding a book that she didn't notice a push cart was about to hit her. However, Lucas noticed and immediately grabbed Peyton by the waist, "Look out, Peyt."

Once again, Peyton found herself in Lucas' arms just as the push cart hit the shelf. Peyton smiled gratefully at Lucas, "Guess you saved me again."

Lucas just smiled, "I guess so."

Peyton once again found the same feelings surfacing as she looked deep into Lucas' eyes. She felt vulnerable...but she like it. Without giving it a second though, she leaned over to give him a long a passionate kiss. Suddenly, she could care less whether it was wrong or right. She has wanted him to kiss her for the longest time. The way her lips responded to his was enough to reflect the longing that she had far too long. Lucas was taken aback initially by Peyton's move. Still, he liked it. He can't deny he has wanted to kiss her so bad too. They remained locked in each other's arms for quite some time as they continued to kiss. After awhile, Peyton pulled her face away from Lucas'. A horrified expression suddenly appeared on her face. "Oh God...I'm so....so...sorry," she stammered as she immediately pulled away.

"You're sorry?" Lucas asked confusingly as he watched Peyton start to walk away.

Peyton looked at him with a serious expression on her face, "Look Luke, I was just...overwhelmed by the moment. Okay, it meant nothing."

Lucas couldn't hide how hurt he was as he faced Peyton, "Right...it meant nothing!" With that, he turned around and walked away.

Peyton just leaned by the shelf as she buried her head in her hand. _"Damn, I really screwed things up,"_ she thought as she replayed what had just happened in her head.

"I can't believe you did that!" said Nikki angrily at Brooke who had just stepped out onto the back porch.

Brooke gave her a haughty smile, "I can't believe you never told them!"

Nikki stood up and glared at her, "Look Brooke, how many times do I have to tell you this is none of you business!"

"When you lie to my boyfriend, it becomes my business!" answered Brooke with a slightly higher voice.

Nikki just threw her hands up as she turned her back on Brooke and looked out. "You have no idea how hard this has been for me...being away from my daughter...knowing she doesn't know me," she said as her voice started to break.

With a serious expression on her face, Brooke replied, "I know what it's like to be away from your mother...I know what it's like when your mom doesn't even want to know how you are for as long as she thinks she's given you all the money you need."

Nikki suddenly faced her, "But she's there."

"She might as well not be," Brooke said softly.

After a moment of silence, Nikki suddenly gave a haughty laugh, "So what are you 'gonna do now? Tell them?"

With a tight smile, Brooke replied, "No...you will." After that, she left Nikki standing in the porch as she went back inside the house.

As Brooke stepped in, Carmen stepped out to the porch with a grave expression on her face, "Can you explain to me what I just heard here?"

Haley had some plans for the day. With a book in hand, she planned to hang-out in the café around the corner with a steamy cup of café latte. She was walking towards the café when an arm suddenly pulled her into a dark alley. Immediately, she felt terrified, but also felt unable to move. "Okay...I don't have any money," she stammered in fright as she tried to make out the face of the person who had just grabbed her.

"Relax Hales, it's just me," explained a familiar voice in the dark.

Haley's eyes suddenly widened in surprise when she recognized the voice, "Nathan? Is that you?"

Nathan took Haley's hand and led her to a part of the alley with a little light so that she could see him. Once they could see each other somehow, Nathan let out a heavy sigh, "Yeah, sorry for grabbing you like that Hales. I really didn't mean to scare you."

Haley looked up at Nathan with a concerned expression on her face, "Everything okay? Are you in trouble?"

Nathan gave her a sly smile, "I'm in trouble alright, but it's not what you think. See, there's a couple of senior girls from school who have been...well...stalking me."

Haley suddenly laughed, "Stalking you? Maybe they're just flirting with you, Nate."

Nathan just gave her a sheepish grin, "Well...alright, they are. But the point is, it's been really...creepy. They hang by my lockers, the leave notes outside my door, they hang out during practice...I mean...it's really starting to freak me out."

Haley just smiled, "I guess it comes with being a basketball star, Nate. You're 'gonna be getting more of that in the NBA, you know."

Nathan nodded as he smiled, "I know, but they have bodyguards in the NBA to handle that."

Haley laughed, "Yeah, you got a point there. Well, what can I do for you today?"

Nathan felt uneasy about asking Haley a particular favor, but he didn't have any other choice, "Is it okay if you pretend to be...my girlfriend for awhile? You know, we could pretend to be a couple just until we get past them. They're hanging out in the café around the corner."

Haley smiled at him, "Okay...boyfriend, let's get this show on the road!"

Nathan smiled gratefully at her, "Thanks Hales, I owe you one!"

With that, they both stepped out of the dark. As they did, Nathan put his arms around Haley as they walked towards the café. Haley let a smile creep into the corners of her mouth as they walked with Nathan's arms around her. _"This feels just like before, "_she remarked to herself as she glanced up at Nathan who smiled at her.

As they neared the café, Haley noticed two girls looking intently at them. _"I guess that's them,"_ she thought as she tried to steal a glance at them.

As soon as they were out of sight, they stopped walking. Nathan pulled away and faced her, "Well...that was pretty easy."

Haley just laughed, "Yeah, it just felt..."

"Real?" continued Nathan with hopeful eyes.

Haley looked at him with a serious expression on her face, "Look Nathan, I'm really glad we can be friends. I just...I don't think I want us to go further than that right now."

"Hales...I didn't mean to..."Nathan began as he tried to explain. However, Haley cut him off.

"Nate...all I'm saying is...we've already lost each other as lovers. Lets try not to lose each other as friends," said Haley with a sly smile. With that, she waved good-bye and walked away.

Nathan called out as Haley continued to walk away, "Hales, I just..." Seeing Haley could no longer hear him, he let out a sigh as he continued, "I still love you...Hales."


	15. Love Hath Fury

Chapter 15: Love Hath Fury

"_Hey babe..." Haley greeted her boyfriend as he reached her. Classes had just ended and Haley was fixing her stuff in the locker. Nathan comes up to her with a serious expression on his face, "Hales, we 'gotta talk." Haley followed him to the car park and climbed up Nathan's Expedition. _

_As soon as she climbed in, she turned to look at Nathan who was running his hands up and down the steering wheel. She realized he couldn't look at her and this made her a little anxious. "Nathan, what's wrong?" she bravely asked as she looked sternly at him. Inside, she could feel her heart beating fast. The look on Nathan's face told her something has gone wrong. Worse, she had a feeling it had something to do with them._

_Nathan took a deep breath. Mustering all the courage inside, he turned to look at Haley. He had a grave expression on his face as he spoke up, "Hales, we're a couple of weeks from graduation and we'll be going to college very soon. You know how much pro ball means to me, right?"_

_Haley just nodded while looking quite puzzled. "I know he has wanted to be an NBA player all his life, but what's this got to do with us?" she thought._

_Nathan took yet another deep sigh before he went on, "Hales, I 'wanna take my basketball seriously. I mean, I really 'wanna prepare for the NBA draft in these coming years."_

_Haley smiled at him softly, "I know, Nate. Basketball means a lot to you. I would really understand if we don't get to spend as much time together."_

_Nathan looks down all of a sudden, "That's not quite it, Haley. You know how you've told me to always look into the future? You know, have a good idea where you're going then determine how to get there. Well...I did just that."_

_Haley slowly started to realize what Nathan was trying to get to. In her mind, she did all she could to push the horrible thought away. She prayed with all her might that Nathan wasn't about to do what she thinks he's about to do. Her face turned quite stern as she urged Nathan to speak some more, "Go on."_

_Nathan could only wish he was holding a glass of whisky right now, he really needed it bad. He didn't think this was going to be this hard. He suddenly heard a voice inside his head, "You can choose not to go on. No one has to get hurt." At some point, he nearly followed his voice. In the end, however, he felt the need to go on with his plan. "I love you, Haley but I think, I need some time apart....with you."_

_Haley's once understanding eyes widened with fury, "I don't get it Nathan, why?"_

_This time, Nathan put his head down. He knows that looking into Haley eyes will cause him even more guilt, although he probably deserved that. Sternly, he replied, "I need this Haley...for me...and my basketball career. Agents have advised me that it's better to go into the NBA Draft a bachelor. I'm more marketable that way."_

_Haley glared at him and gave him a haughty laugh as she threw her hands up in the air, "I get it Scott! You want the rest of the world to know that Nathan Scott is a single and available, hoping that Victoria's Secret models would notice you and ask you to guest in their photo shoots! Damn it Nathan, let me give you a little FYI. Being a bachelor does not assure you anything in the NBA Draft! You don't have to use that as an excuse, you know? Just say you want to flirt around in college, I would totally get it! You disgust me and I don't ever 'wanna see you again!" By the time she finished, tears were streaming down Haley's cheeks. She got out of Nathan's car and shut the door angrily. _

Nathan had a very remorseful expression on his face as he drove his way to school. To that day, he still hated what he did. He loves basketball, he knows that for sure. Things just got quite complicated when Haley walked into his life. He once admitted that he got scared when he realized he was falling for her. Still, he couldn't stop himself...she was always on his mind. "_I thought I'd be okay but all I am is miserable," _he thought as kept his eyes on the road, although his mind was elsewhere.

Lucas was seated beside him, his thought seem to be drifting elsewhere as well. After awhile he turned to his brother who had an unusual gloomy expression on his face. "Hey...you okay?" he asked although he already knew that something wasn't right.

Nathan just sighed, "Just had a little trouble with Haley yesterday."

Lucas nodded, "You guys fought again?"

Nathan shook his head, "You know what...I'm not sure if we fought, but she stormed out on me."

Lucas just shrugged, "I guess I don't know what to make of that too."

They were silent again for awhile when Nathan spoke up. "How about you? You look like something's not right too."

Lucas just gave a wry laugh, "Well...whatever chance me and Peyton have is completely gone."

Nathan turned to glance at his brother, "What do you mean? You guys were doing pretty well together last Saturday."

Lucas looked at him with a sad expression on his face, "Well...not anymore."

Nathan just nodded as he turned to face the road, "This sucks."

Lucas laughed, "Oh yeah...you got that right!"

They went separate ways when they reached school. "See you at practice," said Lucas as he started to go his way.

"Yeah, see you!" called out Nathan as he started walking to his class.

"Hey Nathan," greeted a girl from behind.

Nathan curiously turned around to see who it was. He was surprised to see the girl he tried to avoid yesterday. She was grinning at him flirtatiously, but he wasn't falling for it. "Um...hey, do I know you?" he greeted while making a mental note that he'd take off the moment he gets a chance to.

The girl just giggles as she continues to stare at him, "I'm Chelsea. I'm with the cheerleading squad."

"_Great, just what I need...Haley never really liked cheerleaders...now I can see why,"_ he thought as he gave her a wry smile. "Well...um, I guess I better go," he said as he turned his back on her and started to walk away.

"To your girlfriend? I saw you with her yesterday," called out Chelsea as she looked on with frustration.

Nathan turned to face her, "Yeah, I 'gotta go meet up...with my girlfriend." With that, he hurriedly took off before Chelsea could say another word. _"I sure wish I could call her that,"_ he sadly thought as he continued to go his way.

Peyton kept scanning the hallways as she leaned by her locker door. _"Where could he be?" _she asked herself as played with her car keys. She needed to see him...she needed to explain. She felt really bad with what she did yesterday. _"I just hope he listens this time,"_ she silently hoped as she continued to look for him from the crowd.

Suddenly, she caught sight of him. _"Here goes,"_ she thought as she took a deep breath.

Lucas has just walked into the building. He was carrying his backpack as he continued to walk along the hallway with his head down. _"Please don't let this day get any worse,"_ he said to himself as he continued to walk. What happened with Peyton was still fresh in his memory. The more he recalled it, the more it hurt.

Peyton realized there was no time to waste. She immediately rushed over to him. When she was finally near, she realized she didn't know what to say. "Um...hey Lucas," she began as she stood in front of him.

Lucas stopped in his tracks and looked up. The last thing he wanted to see was Peyton. "I have nothing to say to you, Peyton," he said gently with a serious expression on his face. His eyes showed how hurt he really is.

Peyton looked at him with an apologetic expression on her face, "But I do..." She paused and let out a heavy sigh, "Look Luke...yesterday...what I said...that came out all wrong."

Lucas faced him squarely, "Yeah...but it still meant nothing."

Peyton found herself speechless as she got lost in Lucas' eyes. "Lucas...I..."she stammered as she realized how close she was to losing him.

Lucas suddenly cut her off, "Look Peyton..." He let out a heavy sigh before he went on, "Just forget it. Besides, I know you'd rather be with Sean."

Peyton suddenly looked at him with disbelief, "But Sean and I..."

Lucas looked at her intently. "Make a great couple, "he said as he finished her sentence. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sean making his way towards them. Turning to Peyton, he gave her a weak smile, "I guess I'll leave you two alone."

Confused, Peyton looked to where Lucas' eyes were pointing. There, she saw Sean waving at her. Before she could say anything, Lucas was gone and Sean was right next to her. "Uh, hey Sean," greeted Peyton as cheerily as she can, although she'd rather not see him at the moment.

Sean grinned at her, "I hope I didn't interrupt anything with you and Lucas. Hey, we still on for Thursday night?"

Peyton suddenly remembered her date with Sean, "Thursday night?"

Sean nodded as he laughed, "Yeah Peyton, have you forgotten?"

Peyton shook her head as she laughed, "No, I didn't." _"The guys are playing on Thursday night,"_ she thought. She's supposed to watch the game with Haley and Brooke. _"Then again...I doubt if he would want to see me there,"_ she told herself.

"So, can you make it?" asked Sean, interrupting Peyton's thoughts.

Peyton looked at him uneasily as she nodded, "Sure...Thursday night!"

Brooke looked out the window from the living of the apartment she shares with Peyton and Haley. She was the only one there. The other two girls had already gone to class. Somehow, she felt unable to do anything when she woke up. She was anxious...she sensed that trouble was ahead. Worse, she didn't know how to escape it. She didn't want to go to school. She wanted to avoid Jake and Jenny for the moment. She's not sure if she did the right thing. _"What if I just get them into trouble?"_ she sadly thought as she continued to look out.

Suddenly, the door bell rang and interrupted her thoughts. Knowing there was no one else to answer the door, she put on her robe and walked downstairs. As she opened the door, she was surprised to see Ethan standing outside. He had a serious expression on his face as he looked intently at Brooke, "Can I come in?"

Brooke just nodded as she opened the door further to let him in.

Once they were in the living room, the two sat facing each other in silence. Finally, Brooke decided to speak up, "Why did you do it?"

Ethan turned to face her, "I love you..."

When Nikki and Carmen asked her if she knew where Jenny is, Brooke firmly answered she had no idea. Only Ethan knew that she was lying. Still, he went along and supported her. As they rode back though, Ethan remained completely silent and Brooke knew he didn't feel good about what they did. Now they sat facing each other, not knowing what to do. Brooke let out a heavy sigh before speaking up, "It was a...good thing...what you did."

Ethan faced him with a somewhat hurt expression on his face, "You think? Then why have I been feeling like I've betrayed my family, Brooke?"

Tears started flowing from Brooke's eyes, "I did it for Jake, Ethan."

Ethan looked at her intently with a grave expression on his face, "I did it for you...Look Brooke, I love you so much but...I just can't deal with us right now....I feel so torn between you and my family." He looked out briefly and took a deep breath. "I have to go," he firmly said as he stood up.

Brooke didn't know what to do or say. She just stared after him as he made his way to the door. As soon as the door closed, she started to cry harder. _"What have I done?" _she asked herself as she hugged her knees and continued to cry. As she looked around the room, her eyes fell on a picture on display. Jenny and her were smiling widely, while holding an ice cream cone. _"I guess this is for you, sweetie,"_ Brooke said softly as she continued to look at the picture.

"_I suppose some ball would do me good,"_ Nathan thought later in the day as he made his way to practice. He has wanted to see Haley all day but he hasn't even managed to catch a glimpse of her. As he continued walking, he paused as he saw Haley walking towards him with her head down. She was reading a paper in her hand so she didn't notice that he was around too.

Nathan took a deep breath as he hurriedly walked towards her, "Uh...Hales," he called out as he got nearer.

Haley looked up and saw Nathan walking over. She didn't like how they ended things yesterday. All she really wants is for them to be good friends. "Um...hey Nate," she greeted as he stopped in front of her.

Nathan nervously runs a hand through his hair as he began, "Hales...I'm sorry about yesterday."

Haley gave him a sly smile, "Um...I didn't mean to get all...nasty on you back there."

"I didn't mean to force the issue on us getting back as we were," Nathan explained as he looked intently at her.

Haley nodded, "Just forget about it,"

Nathan looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face, "Did you mean forget about us?"

Haley looked at him with a serious expression on his face, "Look Nathan...there's no us...not anymore."

Nathan looked at her in disbelief and fury, "I can't believe this!"

Haley looked furious herself, "I can't believe you dumped me for NBA!"

With that, she stormed off, leaving Nathan looking on in shock.


	16. Breaking Point

Chapter 16: Breaking Point

Ethan couldn't sleep at all. He lay awake all night, thinking about Brooke...thinking about the two of them. _"Nikki can sure screw up lives, "_he thought as he drove along. Although things around were still up in confusion, there was one thing he surely knew. He loves Brooke and he's not going to lose her. _"She's the best thing that's ever happened to me...Nikki shouldn't have to come between us,"_ he told himself as he determinedly kept his eyes on the road.

Jake rushed over to the girls' apartment early in the morning. Brooke called him, sounding very upset. She said she needed to tell him something really urgent. When she especially said that it had something to do with Jenny, Jake decided to go immediately. _"Could Nikki be back?"_ he asked himself fearfully as he drove.

He hurriedly parked the car in front of the 2-storey apartment and jumped out. He rang the doorbell nervously and waited for someone to open the door. As the door opened, Brooke's face appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were swollen. She had obviously spent the whole night crying. "Come on up," she softly said as she opened the door to let Jake in.

Jake looked even more confused when he saw Brooke. Nevertheless, he just nodded and followed her inside. As they reached the living room, he decided to ask, "Brooke, what happened?"

Brooke collapsed into the couch and buried her face in her hands as she started to cry, "Jake...it's Nikki."

Hearing his ex-girlfriend's name made Jake even more anxious, "What about Nikki?"

Brooke looked straight at him as she continued to cry, "Jake, she's Ethan's sister. I found out when we went to his family ranch this weekend."

"Jake, Jenny could be in trouble," said Peyton as she walked into the living room. Peyton felt bad for her best friend, she has not stopped crying since Haley and her got back home yesterday.

Jake just nodded as stood still, visibly in shock. Taking a deep breath, Brooke looked intently at Jake, "I'm so sorry Jake, but I told her family about Jenny."

"You what?" exclaimed Jake. He was getting even more worried.

"But I didn't tell them where you were...that's why Ethan and I are on the rocks right now," she explained as she buried her face in her hands again and started to cry even harder.

Jake felt quite relieved in knowing that Nikki still didn't know where they were. Suddenly, he felt the urge to go over to Brooke. As he did, Brooke found herself letting Jake wrap his arms around her, "Jake, I think I lost him."

"I'm so sorry about this, Brooke," Jake said as he smoothed her hair.

Peyton just stood still while watching them when the doorbell unexpectedly rang. As she opened the door, she was surprised to see Ethan standing outside. "I need to see her," Ethan said as he walked in and rushed upstairs.

He was not prepared for what he saw when he reached the living room. His girlfriend was in Jake's arms as she continued to cry. "I guess this is why you didn't want my sister to know," he remarked as he glared at them.

Brooke looked up and saw Ethan who looking furiously at her. "Ethan, it's not what you think..."desperately explained Brooke as she stood up, tears just kept flowing from her eyes.

Ethan let out a sarcastic laugh, "C'mon Brooke, admit it. You just want to be Jenny's mother!"

This time Jake has heard enough, his friend didn't deserve this from Ethan. Jake went near Ethan and looked at him with a serious expression on his face, "Give her a break man, she's only trying to help!"

Ethan looked at Jake furiously, "You ruined my sister's life and now, you're stealing me girlfriend?"

Jake was about to jump at him in anger when Peyton stood in between Ethan and Jake. She put an arm on Jake's shoulder, "C'mon Jake, just back off."

Realizing he doesn't want anymore trouble, he followed Peyton's advice and turned away from Ethan. He went back immediately to Brooke's side and hugged her as she continued to cry. He, nevertheless, kept his eyes fixed on Ethan, "She doesn't deserve you man, she doesn't deserve you at all!"

Suddenly, Ethan realized that he had only made things worse. Feeling remorse building up inside him, he stormed off and left the apartment. Peyton ran over to Brooke's side as Jake went to the kitchen to make her some tea. As she sat beside her, Brooke leaned on her shoulder, "Peyton, I think I lost him."

Peyton gave her friend a sympathetic look, "It shouldn't be your loss, Brooke. I think you deserve much better than Ethan."

Brooke's face grew more upset, "I love him, Peyt."

Peyton just let out a sigh, "I know...I bet so does he."

Suddenly, Haley appeared in the living room, not aware of what had just happened. As soon as she saw Brooke's tear-stained face though, she knew something was terribly wrong. "Brooke, what happened?" Haley asked as she rushed over to her friend and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Ethan dumped me!" Brooke explained as she continued to sob.

Peyton tried to console her friend, "C'mon Brooke, he didn't say that."

"But I bet he would've since he already thinks I'm dating Jake behind his back!" said Brooke as rested her head on Haley's shoulder.

Haley felt really sorry for her friend, "I would love to stay with you the whole day but..."

Brooke suddenly cut her off, "Don't be silly. You and Peyton go to class. I'll just stay here and...try not to kill myself."

Suddenly Jake appeared carrying a tray in his hand. He settled Brooke's tea on the table and turned to the girls, "Uh...Brooke, I would love to stay with you today. I mean...I've caused you too much trouble already, it's the least that I could do."

Brooke gave him a sly smile as she thought for a moment, "Well, what the hell...I'm guilty in his eyes anyway...thanks Jake!"

Jake smiled as he nodded, "I'm just 'gonna go pick up Jenny and come back." With that, he waved good-bye to the girls and left.

Later that afternoon, Peyton attended her literature class. She leaned back into her chair and let out a heavy sigh. All that has happened earlier that day left her quite exhausted. She just wanted to go home and stay in bed. Suddenly, Lucas walked in. _"Damn, I forgot the poem!"_ she told herself as she remembered her assignment for class.

Lucas avoided Peyton's eyes as he settled onto a seat. _"I guess it would be best if I start forgetting about her,"_ he thought as found himself flipping through the pages of a book.

Peyton could not help but steal glances at Lucas as she hoped he'd at least talk to her, _"I guess Brooke's not the only one with a screwed up love life!"_

Suddenly, one of the guys in their class came up to Lucas, "Hey man!"

Lucas just gave him a sly smile since he had no idea who he was, "Uh...hey!"

"So, you got a big game on Thursday, right?" asked the guy in a cheery voice.

Lucas nodded, "Yeah...it's 'gonna be exciting...mine and my brother's first game here."

The guy just nodded as he smiled, "Well, I bet everyone's 'gonna be there...good luck man!" With that, he gave Lucas a pat on the back as he went to his seat.

Lucas just smiled as he called out, "Thanks." _"But I bet she won't be there,"_ said Lucas in his head as he stole a quick intent glance at Peyton.

Soon, their Professor Jennings arrived and there was a complete silence in the room. "I hope you all remembered your assignment for the week," he began as he settled a pile of books on his desk. He took out his reading glasses from his briefcase. After putting them on, he turned to face his class, "Alright, we are pressed for time today so not all of you will be reciting. I've already picked the ones who will and..." He paused as he took out a sheet of paper, "the first one would be Mr. Drew, Ms. File, Mr. Wane, Ms. Cruz, Ms.Mckenzie, Mr. Lee, Mr. Keagan and Mr. Scott."

Lucas looked up and nodded. Professor Jenning suddenly cleared his throat, "Now that you know who goes after what, we can begin."

Gary Drew immediately stood up and walked to the front of the class. At the professor's nod, he explained why he chose the poem and recited it. Soon, the other six students followed. Finally, it was Lucas' turn. He took a deep breath as he stood up and walked to the front of the class. He held a piece of paper with one hand while he put the other inside his pocket.

He looked down for awhile as if to compose himself. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and began to speak, "Well, I chose this poem because it captured how I feel about someone right now. It's from "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair" written by Pablo Neruda."

He took a deep breath. _"This is for you, Peyt,"_ he said to her in his mind as he turned to look at her with a solemn expression on his face. Letting out a heavy sigh, he began to recite the poem:

_Tonight I can write the saddest lines._

_Write for example, 'The night is shattered_

_And the blue stars shiver in the distance.'_

_The night wind revolves in the sky and sings._

_Tonight I can write the saddest lines._

_I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too._

_Through nights like this one I held her in my arms._

_I kissed her again and again under the endless sky._

_She loved me, sometimes I loved her too._

_How could one not have loved her great still eyes. _

_Tonight I can write the saddest lines._

_To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her._

_To hear immense night, still more immense without her._

_And the verse falls to the soul like dew to a pasture._

_What does it matter that my love could not keep her._

_The night is shattered and she is not with me._

_This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance._

_My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her._

_My sight searches for her as though to go to her._

_My heart looks for her, and she is not with me._

_The same night whitening the same trees._

_We, of that time, are no longer the same._

_I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her._

_My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing._

_Another's. She will be another's. Like my kisses before._

_Her voice. Her bright body. Her infinite eyes._

_I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her._

_Love is short, forgetting is so long._

_Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms_

_My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her._

_Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer_

_And these the last verses that I write for her._

Peyton quickly brushed the tears that formed in her eyes. Now, she knew just how bad she had made Lucas feel. _"He has given up on me,"_ she thought sadly as she looked out to avoid his gaze.

Meanwhile, the class remained in silence as Lucas found himself looking straight at Peyton. After awhile, Professor Jennings cleared his throat, "Alright, that's all for today. Good work, Mr. Scott." With that, everyone in class stood up and left...everyone but two people who were still absorbed by Pablo Neruda's poem.

After a moment of silence, Peyton realized she wasn't the only one who stayed inside the room. Quickly, she stood up and began to gather her stuff.

"Peyton..." Lucas began softly as he approached her.

Peyton turned around to face him, "Lucas, I swear I'm so sorry..." She was about to take a final shot in getting him back when Lucas interrupted her.

"I don't need to you to explain, Peyton. Please...just hear me out," he said with a sly smile. Taking a deep breath, he went on, "Ever since we were in Tree Hill, I've always had feeling for you, Peyton...feelings I never had for any other girl...I've always loved you and I guess, I always will."

Peyton looked at him with a remorseful expression on her face as she continued to hear him out. She wanted to say she loves him too, but somehow, she felt she couldn't.

Lucas let out a sad laugh as tears started to roll down his cheeks, "You kept going when everyone else put me down...you were the reason I came back. I guess, what I'm saying is...it will always be you, Peyton...but I guess, you don't feel the same way..." He took another deep breath before he continued, "That poem...was for you. It probably covers everything I have wanted to tell you since I realized you love someone else."

Lucas just nodded a good-bye as he turned his back on Peyton. Before he left the room, however, he turned around to face her again, "How I love you, Peyton." With that, he disappeared from her sight. All Peyton could do was sit back down as tears started falling from her eyes.

Nathan was angrily dribbling the ball as he practiced by himself inside the school gym. He threw the ball with immense force that it hit the backboard pretty hard. Suddenly, Coach Fowler appeared and caught the ball. He threw it back at Nathan who caught it expertly and immediately threw it for a shot. "I didn't realize you were still here, Coach," remarked Nathan as the coach approached him.

Coach Fowler gave him a sly smile, "Well, I didn't realize you so mad at somebody, Nathan."

Nathan caught the ball and let out a heavy sigh before he turned to face Coach Fowler, "Well, I'm mad at myself."

Coach Fowler looked at him intriguingly, "For what?"

Nathan looked at him with remorse, "For being such a jackass!"

Coach Fowler just laughed, "It comes with the basketball player title, Nathan! We're all jackasses here one way or another!"

Nathan just smiled as he held the ball in his hand, "But not everyone becomes a jackass to their girlfriend."

Coach Fowler nodded understandingly, "You and Haley must've ended things pretty badly back then."

Nathan nodded as he looked down, "Yeah, back in high school...but it still feels like it was only yesterday. I guess...I never really got over her."

"Maybe because you never really got over the reason why you two broke up," the coach pointed out.

Nathan guiltily nodded, "It was my fault coach...I don't know...I guess I'm so torn between being a great basketball player and being a good boyfriend. I mean, I really 'wanna go places with the way I play."

Coach Fowler just smiled, "I know what you mean, son. Just remember, when you're faced with these things...the best thing to do is to ask yourself what makes you happy. What makes you smile every morning when you wake up? What is that thing that makes you feel like all hell can break lose but it won't matter?" With that, he gave Nathan a pat on the back before he left.

"Thanks coach," called out Nathan as he found himself staring at the basketball ring.

Peyton still felt unable to move after what had just happened. Although she had stopped crying, she still could not take Lucas' sad face off her mind. She just found herself doing a sketch in her notepad. It was of Lucas' sad face with the words, "How I love you..." Peyton pouted slightly as she looked at the face she had just drawn. "I love you too," she said to the picture softly.


	17. Through Angst and Pain

Chapter 17: Through Angst and Pain

It was a very early Wednesday morning. Normally, Nathan would have wanted to stay in bed a little longer...he hates getting up early. On that day, however, he couldn't get any sleep at all. His thoughts were just constantly haunted by a realization that he may be losing Haley. He hated what he had done. Most of all, he hated he could no longer take it back. _"I guess I'm on a losing streak of some sort,"_ he sadly thought as he dribbled the basketball in an empty court near the apartment he shares with his brother.

He threw the ball for a shot. As the ball fell off the ring, Lucas caught it and threw it back to him. "I guess you couldn't sleep either," Lucas remarked as he approached he faced his brother with an equally grave expression on his face.

Nathan shook his head sadly, "No, I've been a mess lately."

Lucas just nodded, "Yeah, that makes the two of us. She still hates you?"

Nathan nodded as he let out a heavy sigh, "Yeah...I'm starting to think I'll remain unforgivable for the rest of my life."

Lucas let out a gentle laugh, "I don't know, Nate. Haley's not like that, she'll forgive you eventually."

"When? After a year?" he exclaimed in an exasperated voice.

Lucas threw the ball at him, "She can't possibly stay mad at you for that long."

Nathan let out a sly smile as he threw the ball for another shot, "What if she does this time?"

Peyton walked into the kitchen early Wednesday morning. She wasn't expecting anyone there so she was surprised to see Brooke up so early. "Now that's a first! Brooke Davis already out of bed at 6:00 in the morning," remarked Peyton as she made herself some coffee.

Brooke gave her a sly smile as she flipped through a magazine, "Well, good morning to you too! Staying in bed is useless when you couldn't sleep."

Peyton turned to her with a sympathetic expression on her face, "You're still feeling pretty bad, huh?"

Brooke nodded sadly," I ruined it for us, Peyt...I just wanted to do what's best for Jenny."

Peyton nodded understandingly, "I know. Listen Brooke, it wasn't your fault that Ethan blew up and you and Jake yesterday. Maybe...he's quite bothered himself."

Brooke took a sip from her plain black cup of coffee, "Yeah...I can't believe he'd accuse me of cheating on him...not that I didn't do it to other guys!"

Peyton laughed as she playfully poked her friend's arm, "Well, it's good to know you haven't pleaded complete innocence yet!"

"I wouldn't mind pleading guilty for Nikki's murder!" Brooke said with a devilish grin.

Peyton smiled at her, "Me too."

"Why plead guilty when you can get away with it? I can help you dump the body!" said Haley as she entered the kitchen.

"Couldn't sleep either?" asked Peyton as she turned to face Haley.

Haley nodded with an exasperated look on her face, "I just lay awake in bed...thinking about..."

"Nathan," Peyton and Brooke said knowingly as they finished Haley's sentence.

Haley let out a sigh as she poured herself some coffee, "I don't know...I mean I thought we could become friends and all..."

"Just friends?' asked Brooke as she cut in.

Haley nodded firmly, "Yeah...just friends."

Peyton looked at her curiously, "Are you sure? I mean, I could tell you want things between you guys to be more than that."

Haley pouted as she took a seat, "I do...but...I don't think I can deal with another episode of dump-Haley-for-NBA again."

Peyton just nodded understandingly, "Well...speaking of dump...I think Lucas just dumped me out of his life."

Brooke turned to her curiously, "You two seem to be getting worse..."

Peyton let out a sad sigh, "Worse and over...he poetically said so."

Haley looked at intriguingly, "Wait...Lucas Scott and poet don't really go well together."

Peyton laughed as she explained, "In our literature class, he recited this Pablo Neruda poem...he told me he meant every word!"

"Maybe I can use Edgar Allan Poe to send Nikki a death threat!" commented Brooke with an angered look on her face.

Later that morning, the girls dragged themselves to school. "Hey maybe we can go make popcorn and watch some movies tonight," suggested Haley. She knew all three of them had to get some things of their mind.

"Yeah, that would be great," answered Peyton as she parked the car.

"Maybe we can order some pepperoni pizza with extra cheese too," added Brooke as she stared out from the passenger seat with a depressed look on her face.

Haley just nodded, "Pizza and popcorn...perfect!"

Peyton just laughed, "I'll go get beer!"

As they got off the car, they all went their separate ways.

Brooke made her way to class without meeting anyone's eyes. As far as she's concerned, she doesn't want to have to face Ethan that morning. "C'mon, just let me get out of here without seeing him," she muttered as she hastily walked to her classroom.

As she reached the room, she was surprised to see a familiar figure leaning by the doorway. Jake was drumming his fingers on a book as he waited for Brooke. "Jake, what are you doing here?" asked Brooke as she approached him.

Jake smiled at her, "Hey Brooke, how are things doing with you and Ethan?"

Brooke let out a sigh, "No change...he still thinks all we've shared was crap."

Jake just laughed, "Well, I'm sorry to hear that."

Brooke just shrugged, "So, how are you doing? Are you...worried?"

Jake looked at her intently, "Actually...I wanted to ask you a favor."

"You want Nikki dead?" she asked as she looked at him intently.

Jake laughed, "Not exactly...I was hoping you could help me...talk to Jenny about her dysfunctional mother."

Brooke looked at her intently, "Wait...are you going on a guilt trip too?"

Jake shook his head, "On Nikki? I would never regret my decision to keep Jenny away from her..." He let out a sigh before he continued, "I will, however, regret it if Jenny finds out the truth from someone else. I don't want her to hate me when she grows older when she learns I've been keeping something from her. She has a right to know, Brooke."

Brooke nodded understandingly, "You want me to tell Jenny about Nikki?"

Jake looked at her uneasily, "Can you handle that?"

Brooke let out a sigh, "I might not be able to stop myself from saying what a bitch Nikki is, though."

Jake just laughed, "Don't worry, I won't stop you...Jenny deserves the truth...the whole truth!"

They both just laughed as they talked about Jenny a little more. After awhile, Brooke looked at him intently, "Well, I guess...just let me know when Jenny's ready to have...that talk"

Jake nodded as he smiled at her gratefully, "Yeah, I'll call you. Thanks Brooke!"

Brooke smiled warmly as she nodded before she stepped inside her classroom. Right across the hall, Ethan saw Jake and Brooke talking to each other. He even saw Jake waiting outside her door before she arrived in class. Ethan just furiously glanced at Jake as he made his way to the exit door. After awhile, he made his way out of the building himself.

Haley was just walking along the hallway when she noticed a familiar figure coming out of the dean's office. Nathan didn't know what to do when he saw her. Fortunately, Haley made things easier by just walking away. Suddenly, Haley heard her name being called out.

"Haley," began Nathan as he ran after her.

Haley wouldn't dare turn around. _"What's he 'gonna do now?"_ she asked herself as quickened her pace.

"Haley," Nathan called out again as he tried to keep up with her. _"Will you just stop for awhile?"_ he asked her in his mind.

Determined to ignore him, Haley just kept walking although she could already feel that eyes were already on them. _"One more and I'm kicking your ass!"_ said Haley defiantly to herself as she continued to walk hurriedly

"Haley, please..."Nathan shouted as he found himself able to catch up to her.

Suddenly, Haley turned around and glared at him. "What?" she snapped at him as people looked at them curiously.

Nathan just gave her a sheepish smile as he nervously ran a hand on his hair, "Um...you dropped this." He then handed her a book.

Haley felt her cheeks burning as she realized what he was calling her for,"Oh..." Nevertheless, she didn't dare give him an apologetic look. Instead she grabbed the book from his hand and looked at him squarely, "Thanks." With that, she turned around and walked away.

Meanwhile, Nathan was just left to stare after her. "You're welcome," he mumbled as he stood still.

Lucas made his way to class with his head down. He didn't really feel like running into anybody. He just wanted to get his classes over with and play ball. "I guess...all I got is basketball now," he sadly thought as he put his hands inside his front pockets.

"'Wanna go for another carousel ride?" asked a voice from behind him.

Lucas turned around and was surprised to see Nikki grinning at him devilishly. Raising an eyebrow at her slightly, he gave her a cold face, "What do you want?"

"I want my daughter back!" she exclaimed demandingly.

"How many times do I have to point out to you that Jenny was never yours?" challenged Peyton as she suddenly appeared from behind Lucas.

The moment he realized Peyton was around, Lucas sensed trouble. He knew the two girls couldn't stand each other. He knew Peyton is disgusted with Nikki as much as he is. _"It looks like there's nothing Nikki can ruin between me and Peyton this time,"_ he thought as he watched the girls intently.

Nikki gave her a devious smile, "Well...it sure is good to see you, stupid baby-sitter."

Peyton just let out a sarcastic laugh, "And I can smell a skank all the way from across the hall."

Nikki just glared at her, "I see you're with him now. Peyton, is it? You see to have taken a liking to finishing up after me!"

At this point, Peyton felt that Nikki had gone too far. "Actually, I got to Lucas' first!" Peyton defiantly pointed out as she moved to claw on Nikki.

Not wanting Peyton to hurt herself, Lucas immediately grabbed her, "It's not worth it, Pey."

Turning to Nikki with furious eyes, Lucas instructed her coldly, "I'd leave now if I were you."

"Not until I have my daughter," Nikki said defiantly.

Peyton suddenly let out a haughty laugh, "You never will."

Nikki gave a knowing smile as she glared at Peyton, "Oh, I can...with my brother's help." With that, she turned her back at them and walked away as Peyton and Lucas looked on.

After awhile, they both realized that they still had their arms around each other. Immediately, they awkwardly pulled away from each other. Nonetheless, they found themselves looking into each other's eyes. After awhile, Lucas just stammered a remark, "Uh...bye." With that, he turned around and headed to his class without looking at Peyton again.

Peyton stood still as she watched him walk away. "Bye," she said in a barely audible voice.


	18. Troubled Crossroads

Chapter 18: Troubled Crossroads

With her relationship possibly nearing an end, Brooke could feel dark days glooming ahead. She couldn't hide what she was feeling, it was written all over her face. _"Did I do something so bad that I don't deserve any happiness in life?"_ she miserably thought as she walked around the school.

Peyton dashed frantically along the corridors. She had to find her friend, she had to tell Brooke that Nikki's here. As she did, she also could not help but look behind her from time to time to make sure that Nikki was not following her. At one point, she felt she knocked someone over just as she turned to look behind her. "Oh God, I'm so sorry," she said as she turned to the person she just bumped into.

"I must really seem like a nice road kill." asked Brooke as she slowly stood up.

Peyton eye's widened when she realized just who she knocked over, "Oh Brooke, I've been looking for you."

"Just looking or looking to knock me down?" Brooke asked as she brushed some dirt off her blank tank top.

Peyton gave him an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry...I guess I wasn't looking where I was going...it's just that Nikki..."

"Nikki...as in Nikki-who-ruined-my-life Nikki?" Brooke asked as her eyes widened in shock.

Peyton nodded, "Yeah...that Nikki. Anyway, she' here and as usual, she out for trouble."

Brooke lets out a heavy sigh, "Great...my life has just gotten more complicated!"

Peyton looked at her friend intently, "Not to mention Jenny's in trouble."

Brooke suddenly thought of a plan. _"It seems like the only way out this time,"_ she thought desperately.

Peyton immediately sensed that her friend had something in mind, "What are you thinking, Brooke?"

Brooke turned to her intently, "I've got a little plan but I need to get back to our place now."

Peyton nodded as they started to walk towards the parking lot, "Alright, let's go."

"Daddy, I don't think they're home," Jenny remarked as no one answered the door for the third time. They were standing outside the girls' apartment. Jake talked to his mother earlier. He filled her in on Ethan's relation to Nikki. Worried about losing her grandchild, she suggested that they meet with a lawyer to prepare for a possible custody battle.

Jake and Jenny were about to leave when they heard a car parking up beside the 2-storey apartment. A smile creeped onto Jenny's lips as she recognized two girls she has grown so fond of, "Aunt Brooke, Aunt Peyton! Daddy, they're here!"

Brooke let out a relieved laugh as she rushed over to give Jenny a hug, "I was just thinking about you."

Meanwhile, Peyton didn't want to waste any time and approached Jake immediately. With a serious expression on her face, Peyton filled Jake in, "We got a problem...Nikki's here and she wants Jenny."

Jake's eyes widened in fear, "I don't 'wanna lose her, Peyton. What am I 'gonna do?"

Peyton felt useless at this point. There is nothing she could really do to help, "Do you 'wanna...go away again?"

Jake let out a heavy sigh, "I don't 'wanna lose Jenny."

Suddenly, Brooke joins in, "Jake, I 'gotta..."

"Brooke, I need you and Peyton to watch Jenny for awhile. I'll go pack up our stuff and then pick her up," said Jake as he interrupted Brooke.

Before Peyton and Brooke could say anything, Jake was gone. Turning to Jenny, Brooke gave the 4-year old darling a smile, "C'mon Jenny, let's go make an ice cream sundae."

Peyton just nodded and smiled at Jenny as she and Peyton took her by the hand and went inside the apartment.

As Jake drove frantically to his apartment, he somehow felt that he was being watched. He peered into his rear view mirror before he made a left turn. Noticing no one suspicious, he shook the thought away and just kept driving, _"Maybe the thought of Nikki just creeps the hell out of me."_

"So...Peyton and I got into a fight this morning," said Lucas to his brother as he aimed a basketball to the hoop.

Nathan turned to him with a sly smile, "Now that's not new."

Lucas laughed, "Except that Peyton and I ganged up on someone else this time,"

Nathan turned to his brother curiously, "Now that's a first! Who was it?"

"Nikki," Lucas answered with a sigh.

Nathan looked at him in disbelief, "You mean the Nikki...who trashed my apartment?"

Lucas nodded with smile, "Yeah, that Nikki."

Nathan just shook his head. "Just when you think we've got more than we can handle, she shows up!" he remarked as he let out a chuckle.

Suddenly, Chelsea approaches them and flashes a flirty grin at Nathan, "Hey Nathan, maybe you and your...brother can join us at the local bar tonight. We can play pool and have a few beers and...who knows what can happen from there."

Lucas just gave his brother a knowing smile. "Oh boy," he said to himself as he realized how hard it will be for his brother to get the girl off his tail.

Nathan forced himself to smile politely, "Um...Chelsea, right? Well, my brother and I already got some plans for tonight...sorry."

"What is it with you Tree Hill guys? Don't you know how to treat women right?" remarked another girl who had just stepped in the gym.

"Nikki!" greeted Chelsea as she gave her a hug the moment she came near them.

"Hey Chelsea, dated anyone since my brother?" asked Nikki as she reciprocated the gesture.

Chelsea just laughed, "Nah...nothing serious since Ethan...unless this guy right here goes out with me tonight."

Nathan just gave Chelsea a sly smile as he met his brother's eyes. Although he was never introduced to Nikki formally, Nathan knew Nikki was trouble...huge trouble. Unable to hold back, he suddenly turned to Nikki, "Tree Hill guys...we sure know how to treat women right...just that we don't respect those who have no respect for themselves!" Nathan just gave Nikki a knowing smile.

Upon hearing this, Nikki just glared at him. She was about to snap back at Nathan when Lucas suddenly spoke up.

"So, you here to stir up trouble again?" asked Lucas with a serious expression on his face.

Nikki just laughed haughtily, "You know what? If Jake would just give me my daughter, I can skip everyone the trouble!"

Suddenly, Coach Fowler emerged from the locker room. He immediately turned to his players, "Alright boys, let's play some ball! Looks like Jagelski won't be joining us today. He says he's got family matters to take care of."

At that very instant, a fearful thought creeped into Nikki's mind, _"He's trying to get away again."_ Immediately, she turned around and started to make her way out of the gym.

"_I know this is quite nasty but..."_ Nathan told himself as he let the basketball slipped from his hands. Just as he had imagined, the basketball rolled onto the floor and all the way to where Nikki was walking.

Not noticing the rolling basketball, Nikki suddenly tripped on it and fell. She immediately stood back up and turned around to glare at Nathan.

Nathan just grinned at her, "I guess that was for messing with my brother...and trashing my party!"

Nikki just gave him a furious stare, "The last laugh is still mine, you'll see." With that, she stormed off.

"Nice work, little brother!" remarked Lucas as he gave Nathan a pat on the back.

Nathan just smiled, "She had it coming."

"You're not getting away from me this time, Jake" muttered Nikki as she drove furiously. She made a few phone calls earlier and was able to track down where her daughter might be...

As Jake reached his apartment, he hurriedly started to pack his and Jenny's stuff. Reaching for a big duffel bag, he frantically grabbed clothes and unthinkingly stuffed them inside. Suddenly, he found himself getting knocked over. As he fell to the floor, Jake felt a sharp pain in his chest as he felt someone punch him. Lying on the floor in pain, he tried his best to see who the person was.

"Damn you, you ruined it for me!" exclaimed Ethan as he continued to punch Jake.

With all his might, Jake fought back as he tried to stand up. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he said as he tried to block Ethan's punches.

As the two guys continued to hit one another, Jake finally found an opportunity to knock Ethan off him. With Ethan down, Jake tried to stand up as fast as he can. Ethan was about to yank Jake's leg when Jake suddenly flashed a picture right in front of Ethan. Breathing heavily, Jake looked at Ethan intently, "Listen man, this is the only girl in my life. And...Brooke's a really great girl but...she doesn't love me...she loves you..." He looked down for awhile before he went on with a sly smile, "Jenny's my world...she's my only world."

Ethan just remained seated in one corner of the room. He just looked at Jake speechlessly.

"Well...looks like your world's about to be shattered, Jake," remarked Nikki as she appeared by the doorway.

"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Jake in a furious voice as he turned to Nikki.

Nikki just gave Jake a haughty laugh, "How the hell did you manage to keep Jenny safe all these years when you don't keep your doors closed, Jake?"

"Funny, Nikki. I've always thought I'd hear you say that one day," remarked Jake as he looked at Nikki straight in the eye.

Nikki just glared at her, "Where's my daughter, Jake? I'm taking her away!"

Ethan suddenly gave a sarcastic laugh as he turned to face his sister, "If you came for your daughter, Nick, then you just missed her. She's not here!"

Nikki gave Jake a furious stare, "Where is Jenny, Jake? Where did you take my daughter?"

Jake gave Nikki a knowing smile, "Where you can't reach her!"

"Why don't you leave Jake and his daughter alone, sis? Just like you had all these years!" asked Ethan defiantly to his sister.

"You stay out of this, Ethan! I'll find her and when I do, I'm keeping her!" retorted Nikki as she glared as her brother. With that, she stormed off and left the two guys behind.

As she did, Jake turned to Ethan and smiled at him gratefully, "Thanks man..."

"Just trying to make things right," Ethan answered as he returned the smile.

Back in school, Lucas was running frantically along the hallways. He was looking for any of the three girls. _"Where could they be?"_ he asked himself as he frantically tried to find anyone of them.

"Seen any of them yet?" asked Nathan as he ran behind his brother.

"No, I just hope they no that Nikki may be on their tail," answered Lucas as he continued to run.

Suddenly, he recognized Nikki from across the hallway. Lucas ran towards her with Nathan following closed by. "Haley!" Lucas called out as he tried to catch his friend.

Haley turned around in time to see Lucas running anxiously towards her with Nathan following closely behind. _"Surely this isn't about what happened earlier,"_ Haley thought as she looked curiously at the guys.

As Lucas reached her, he stopped right in front of Haley. Breathing heavily, he filled her in, "Nikki's here...I don't think she's leaving until she gets Jenny."

Haley's eyes widened in panic, "Oh God...does Jake know about this?"

Lucas shrugged, "I'm thinking he does coz' he didn't show up to practice."

Haley thought for a moment. "Brooke...I 'gotta warn Brooke and Peyton," she said firmly as she looked straight into Lucas' eyes.

"I think they've left, they're nowhere to be found around here," Lucas explained.

"Then I 'gotta go back to our place," said Haley as anxiety started to build up inside her.

"I can take you there, Hales," Nathan offered as he faced her.

Haley turned to Nathan as she nodded, "Alright."

Lucas looked at both of them intently, "You go warn Peyton and Brooke, I'll go see if I can reach Jake."

With that, Lucas left Nathan and Haley as he stormed to the other side of the campus.

Inside the car, Nathan and Haley were riding in silence. Feeling quite uneasy about the situation, Nathan decided to speak up. "Um...so, I finally met the infamous Nikki earlier."

Haley turned to him curiously, "You did?"

Nathan nodded as he kept his eyes on the road, "Yeah...she's exactly how you described her before...a nasty...well, girl!"

Haley just laughed as things started getting pretty well between the two of them, "She's still got the nasty edge, huh?"

Nathan just laughed, "You bet so I gave her a taste of mine. I rolled a basketball towards her and she tripped on it!"

Haley suddenly burst out laughing in disbelief, "I can't believe you did that! Well...for once, you did something right."

As he saw the 2-storey apartment the girls share, Nathan parked the car. He suddenly turned to her, "What's that supposed to mean? Look Haley...I'm trying to make things right between us here? But you just keep turning me down. When will you let me?"

Haley faced Nathan. She looked straight into his eyes with much sadness, "I don't know...I don't know if this will ever be right between us." With that, she got off the car and walked towards the front door.

A/N: I hope you all are still enjoying this story of mine. To everyone who's never gotten tired of giving me reviews, thank you so much! It really means a lot to me esp. now that I feel like I'm going through a mild case of writer's block. Hope you all keep reading, let me hear from you! )


	19. Bound to Emerge

Chapter 19: Bound to Emerge

Nikki slammed on the breaks as she reached the girls' apartment. She got off furiously as she glared at Peyton and Haley who were both looking at her in shock.

"Brooke's right," remarked Peyton as she watched Nikki walking angrily over to them.

Still not aware of that Brooke and Jenny have gone off, Haley turned to Peyton looking puzzled, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Nikki flashed a devious grin at the two girls, "Well...well, what are you two standing outside now? Guarding Jenny, are we?" Nikki looked straight at Peyton with an angry expression on her face before she continued, "You sure you're doing things right this time? Better be careful, dumb babysitter!"

Peyton glared at Nikki, "Is that all you got psycho stalker skanky bitch?"

Before Nikki could answer back, Haley suddenly stepped between the two of them. Haley just gave Nikki a devious grin, "You must be Nikki, it's nice to meet the girl who just fell on her face earlier this afternoon!"

Remembering what happened in the gym earlier made Nikki furious. Suddenly, she reached her hand out to hit Haley. However, she felt a strong arm stop her. She looked up and saw Nathan looking angrily at her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," remarked Nathan as he tightly held her arm.

Nikki pulled away from him defiantly, "Oh yeah, what are you 'gonna do now? Kiss me?"

Nathan looked at Nikki in utter disgust. "You're unbelievable!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly, Ethan and Jake came rushing toward them. Nikki turned and gave a haughty laugh, "I beat you guys! Looks like I am getting Jenny this time, Jake."

Peyton suddenly gave an equally haughty laugh, "Actually, you got her too late skanky bitch!" With that, Peyton immediately rushed toward Ethan and Jake, leaving Nikki looking at her curiously.

"Peyton, where is she?" asked Jake in a panic as soon as Peyton reached them.

Peyton looked at Jake intently, "She's not here, Jake."

Jake breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good to know but where is she?"

Peyton took a deep breath, "Brooke took her somewhere. She said there's no need to worry, she'll keep her away from Nikki."

Jake looked at Peyton with a puzzled look on his face, "You mean...you don't know where she took her?"

Peyton shook her head, "No...I trust Brooke, Jake...she's taking Jenny some place really safe."

Ethan thought for a moment and finally got an idea. He immediately turned to Jake, "I think I know where she's going, man. Come with me."

Without wasting anytime the guys were headed back to the car. Peyton suddenly remembered a promise she made earlier. "Ethan," she called out.

As Ethan turned to look at her, Peyton continued, "Brooke says she's really sorry."

Ethan gave Peyton a sly smile, "She has nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one at fault here." Peyton smiled at him, "I hope you two can fix things soon."

Ethan smiled at Peyton gratefully before he got in his car. _"I hope so,"_ he thought as Brooke's face appeared in his mind.

Meanwhile, Nikki was watching everything going on. When she saw Ethan and Jake getting back onto her brother's car, she knew they knew where Jenny was. She immediately rushed to her car to follow them. As this was going on, Peyton just looked on as the cars disappeared from her sight.

Behind Peyton, Nathan and Haley stood side by side. They were both quite overwhelmed with what had just taken place. After awhile, Nathan turned to face Haley. For quite some time, there was a moment of silence between the two of them. It seemed like their eyes were doing the talking. Suddenly, Haley decided to say something. "Nathan..." she began.

"Hales...don't," said Nathan as he interrupted her. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Haley intently, "I just want you to know that...I'm here for you...anytime." He looks down as Haley looked at him stunned. She wasn't exactly surprised but to hear that from Nathan after everything that just happened between them was something she didn't quite expect. After awhile, Nathan looked up as he ran a hand anxiously through his hair, "Well, I guess I should go."

As he walked towards his car, Haley just stood still as she looked on. "Nathan..." she softly muttered under her breath as she watched him.

"Wow, you got me the big one! Does it have fudgy brownies at the bottom?" asked Jenny as her eyes widened with delight upon seeing the big bowl of ice cream that Brooke settled in front of her.

Brooke grinned widely at Jenny as she sat down and started to play with her smaller sized chocolate fudge sundae, "Yep, just like you wanted!"

"You're the best Auntie Brooke!" remarked Jenny as she started to dig in her ice cream.

Brooke just laughed, "Well, you're about to meet someone who can make you an even better ice cream treat!"

Jenny just continued to go through the bowl, "Really?"

Brooke nodded, "Yeah, you're 'gonna like her."

"What's she like?" asked Jenny before spooning a piece of brownie into her mouth.

Brooke thought for awhile as she spooned some ice cream herself, "Well she's...a great mom."

"Is she your mommy?" asked Jenny as she kept her yes on her favorite treat.

Brooke laughed, "No, but I wish she were." Jenny just continued to enjoy her big ice cream bowl as Brooke looked at her with a smile on her face. _"I just hope I'm not screwing things up any more than it already is,"_ she silently wished as she went through her sundae.

"_Where could they be?"_ asked Peyton to herself as she paced back and forth in their living room. She clutched her cel. phone as she anxiously waited for Brooke to call.

Suddenly, her phone rang. "Hello," answered Peyton in a panicked voice.

"Peyton, are you okay?" asked a man's voice with concern.

"Um...Lucas...yeah, Nikki got here," answered Peyton. For some reason, she felt relieved to hear his voice. _"I wish you'd hold me,"_ Peyton found herself hoping as she clutched the phone tightly as if to make her feel like things were going to be alright.

Listening to Peyton, Lucas sensed she was quite shaken, "Peyt, are you okay?"

Peyton let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know Lucas...I'm just...a bit shaken. Nikki's such a bitch!"

Lucas chuckled, "You got that right! Listen Peyt...you really don't sound so good. You...want me to come over?"

Peyton bit her lip for awhile as she stared into empty space. Her mind was shouting yes, but she feared that the day won't end well for both of them again. "Nah...I'll be fine in a while. Thanks for the offer though!" Peyton said quickly before she can take her words back.

Lucas was glad to hear that she was okay, "Alright...I guess I'll see 'ya...bye!" With that, Lucas hang up.

"Bye..." Peyton muttered as she closed the phone and stared at it for awhile.

"Hey, who was that?" asked Haley as she walked into the living room and settled on the couch.

Staring outside, Peyton answered, "Lucas."

Haley looked at her intently, "No word from Brooke yet?"

Peyton sighed, "No...I'm getting quite worried."

Haley let out a sigh herself, "Look Peyt...maybe this is how we should see it...for as long as Jenny's not with Nikki, it's a good thing."

Peyton looked at her and gave a sly smile, "Yeah...that's a good way of putting it."

Silence filled the air for quite some time. Neither of them tried to speak. It seemed that both were in deep thought, even anxiety. Ethan kept his eyes on the road. "Brooke...she's a great girl," Ethan remarked as he finally spoke up.

Jake just laughed, "She is, isn't she? While we were in high school, she's always been full of surprises. You know, she's got this...multi...dimensional character."

Ethan smiled, "That's what I like about her..."

They were silent again for some time. Suddenly, Ethan turned to Jake as he the car stopped on a red light, "If you don't mind my asking, why made you like my sister? I mean, she's not exactly...the ideal girlfriend type."

Jake laughed as he turned towards Ethan, "I don't know, man. When I first met Nikki, I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was so...mysterious. It just made me want to know her more. The next thing I knew...we were dating and then...Jenny came along."

Ethan let out a sigh, "I'm sorry man...for what Nikki did to you and your daughter."

Jake shook his head, "No man...you had nothing to do with it. It's between me and her."

Keeping his eyes on the road, Ethan's face suddenly turned serious, "Look man, I love my sister but...for some reason, I just think Jenny would be better off without her. I've seen Nikki's ways. One minute, she's here and the next, she's taken off. Jenny doesn't deserve a mother like that, showing up only when she feels like it."

Jake's face turned equally serious, "I know man...but she'll do anything to get Jenny."

Ethan just gave a sly smile, "I don't know if Brooke's told you man, but we only found out about Jenny last weekend."

There was a persistent knock on the door. Peering into the driveway, Carmen saw a car parked outside. It wasn't any of her children's. Nevertheless, she decided to open the door. As she did, Carmen's face lit up upon seeing her son's girl friend. "Brooke!" she greeted as she smile at her.

Smiling back, Brooke spoke up, "I'll be honest with you..." She said as she began. Taking a deep breath she continued, "I'm not sure if I want Jenny to meet her mother, but I know I want Jenny to meet her grandmother." With that, Jenny stepped out from behind Brooke.

"Uh...hi," greeted Jenny shyly at the old woman who's eyes widened upon seeing her.

Choking back the tears, Carmen reached out her hand, "It's nice to finally meet you, dear. Can you give grandma a hug?"

Jenny nodded and approached her for a hug. Immediately, tears started flowing from Carmen's eyes as she mouthed out a "Thank you" to Brooke.

Brooke just nodded as she also felt tears in her eyes as she watched Carmen and Jenny. _"I guess I did the right thing, "_she thought as she smiled through her tears.

After awhile, Carmen realized something and exclaimed, "Oh goodness, what are we all doing outside. Come on in, let's have some tea."

Brooke nodded and so did Jenny who clearly became fond of Carmen. During tea, Carmen and Jenny had a good time getting to know each other while Brooke just watched them in silence. After awhile, Carmen turned to Brooke, "How are things with you and Ethan."

Brooke just gave a sly laugh, "Honestly, not good...I think it's over between us."

Carmen gave Brooke a sympathetic smile as she reached out to touch Brooke's hand, "My son loves you dear, I know he does. Maybe things will get better for you two, you'll see."

Brooke shook her head as she fought the tears back, "I don't know...I screwed up really bad."

Carmen shook her head firmly, "You mean...my daughter did. You two were just caught in between...you and Ethan should be able to work things out."

Brooke just smiled gratefully through the tears, "I...hope...so."

Suddenly, Jenny squealed as she ran towards the door, "Daddy, I want you to meet someone!"

Jake smiled as hugged Jenny, "Oh darling, I'm so glad to see you."

After a brief hug, Jenny led her dad to the living room where Carmen and Brooke were having tea. With a huge grin on her face, Jenny began her introduction, "Daddy, this is Carmen. Aunt Brooke says she's my grandmother."

Jake smiled politely at Carmen, "Hello...mam."

Carmen smiled as she stood up and gave Jake a hug, "You may call me Carmen, Jake. I see, you've done a remarkable job raising my granddaughter."

Jake smiled warmly at the old woman, "Thank you...Carmen."

"I see you all have met," remarked Nikki as she stood by doorway.

Approaching them, she glared at Brooke, "For a moment there, I thought I'd end up charging you with kidnapping."

"Don't speak to her like that Nikki!" snapped Ethan as he glared at his sister.

"Stop it, both of you," remarked Carmen sternly at her two children. Turning to Nikki, she asked in a serious voice, "What do you want Nikki?"

Nikki slowly walked over to Jenny as the expression on her face softened. "I want her..." she softly began as her face broke into a smile upon seeing her daughter, "I want to be with you, Jenny. I love you darling. I want you to stay with me."

Jenny suddenly got frightened by the woman she doesn't know, but wants to keep her. Immediately, she held onto her dad tightly, "Daddy, I want to go home now."

Looking at Nikki with a grave expression on his face, Jake talked to his daughter, "Okay sweetie, but say good-bye to grandma...and to your mother."

Jenny reached out to give Carmen a hug, "Can I see you again?"

Carmen just laughed as she lightly touched the tip of her granddaughter's nose, "Of course Jenny, you can visit me anytime you want."

Jenny nodded as she smiled, "Maybe you can visit me too."

Ethan suddenly went toward them as he turned to Jenny, "I can take grandma to see you."

Jenny nodded as she reached out to give Ethan a hug as well.

Turning around, Jenny saw Nikki looking at her with tears in her eyes. Jenny suddenly approached her and spoke softly, "Maybe you can visit me too."

Nikki nodded as she hugged Jenny. After a brief hug, Jenny walked towards Jake and clutched her dad's hand. Jake smiled at Carmen, "Thank you Carmen."

Carmen just nodded as she smiled, "Thank you for taking care of her."

As they stepped outside, Ethan walked behind Brooke. Finally, he had a chance to talk to her. "Um...Brooke," Ethan began as Brooke turned around to face him.

"I can take Ethan and Jenny if you want...after all, you must be tired," Ethan offered as he looked deep into Brooke's eyes.

Brooke just gave him a sly smile, "Nah...it's okay, I can take them. You stay here...with your family."

As Brooke turned her back on him, Ethan called her our again, "Brooke."

As she turned to face him once more, Ethan nervously asked, "Can we...start all over again? You know...make things right."

Brooke let out a heavy sigh as a sad expression appeared on her face, "I don't know Ethan...I'm starting to think that our relationship is not as strong as I thought it was. I mean, look at how easily this came between us."

Ethan just gave her a sly smile as he sadly nodded, "I understand...I guess I'll see you around."

Brooke nodded as she smiled sadly at him, "Yeah, see you."

"Didn't think things would get this crazy when we reach college," Haley remarked as she sat in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn on her lap.

Peyton just smiled as she settled beside Haley, "You bet...a whole lot of...drama too!"

Haley just let out a heavy sigh, "You think things will ever get simpler around here?"

Peyton just laughed, "That's like asking if...we'll ever be 16 again!"

Haley just laughed, "I guess the answer is no..." Her face suddenly turned sad as she let out another sigh, "I just wish things between me and Nathan will get..."

"Better?" asked Peyton as she continued Haley's sentence.

"Simpler actually," said Haley as she grabbed some popcorn.

Peyton just laughed, "I don't know Hales, thing were never simple between you and Nate...you know!"

Haley laughed at Peyton's comment, "I know...just like with you and Lucas."

Peyton nodded, "You know...let's just forget they exist for tonight, enjoy this popcorn and have a good night's sleep afterwards."

Haley smiled as she nodded, "Yeah...that's probably what we both need."

Jake looked with concern at Brooke who was seated on the driver's seat beside him. Jenny already fell asleep on the back. "Brooke, you alright?" Jake finally asked.

Looking out, Brooke exclaimed, "I don't know..."

Jake just gave her a pat on the back, "Things will get better, you'll see... Anyway, thanks for what you did for me and Jenny today."

Brooke turned to him and smiled with tears in her eyes, "You deserve to be happy."

Jake smiled at her gratefully, "So do you." With that, Jake reached out to take Brooke in his arms. Brooke gratefully rested her head on Jake's broad chest as she let her tears fall freely.

Peyton stared out from her bed as she clutched a piece of paper tightly. Glancing at it, she took a deep sigh as she folded it carefully and slid it into her notebook. "Lucas..." she muttered as she closed her eyes.


	20. Blurred in the Heart

Chapter 20: Blurred in the Heart

"Hey, how are you doing?" asked Haley with concern when she found her friend in the kitchen early the next morning.

Brooke just gave a sly smile, "I can't say I'm good, but I have to say, I don't feel so bad either."

Haley smiled, "Well, that's good to know. I was starting to wonder if we need to get tubs and tubs of chocolate chip ice cream."

Brooke just laughed, "Well...I could sure use some."

"Yeah, me too," remarked Peyton as she joined the girls in the kitchen.

"I guess I could use some too. I'll go grab some later," Haley said as poured her self a glass of orange juice.

Peyton settled into the kitchen table and turned to Brooke, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to wait up for you last night. I just felt so exhausted."

Brooke nodded, "Worrying can really work you up, huh?"

Peyton just laughed, "Yeah, I guess so."

There was a brief moment of silence in the kitchen. Finally, Haley spoke up, "Hey, are you guys watching the game tonight?"

Peyton let out a heavy sigh, "I don't think so. I'm meeting up with Sean tonight."

"What about Luke?" asked Haley with curiosity. As far as she knows, Peyton and Lucas were doing pretty well together. She knew Lucas called Peyton yesterday just to see how she's doing. "_Did I misread something here?"_ she asked in her mind as she tried to read the expression on Peyton's face.

Peyton just gave a sly smile as she shrugged, "I don't know...I think I'll just go with Sean tonight."

"What about you, friend? Got plans tonight?" asked Brooke as she turned to Haley.

Haley just shrugged, "I don't know if I should go to that game either."

Brooke just let out a sigh, "Tell you two honestly, I've got nowhere to go tonight."

Peyton turned to her with a curious expression on her face, "What do you mean? Don't you have plans with Ethan tonight?"

Brooke shook her head as she smiled slyly, "Nah...I'm a free woman again...I guess I'll just be sipping some cocktails and doing some damage."

"Oh Brooke, I'm so sorry. I thought you and Ethan were able to patch things up," remarked Haley with a sympathetic smile.

Brooke just warmly smiled at her friend, "Let's just say that the hole we dug in our relationship was...too deep that we 't get out of it. I don't know...I just told him he ought to spend more time with his family."

Peyton put an arm around Brooke's shoulder, "You can hang out with me and Sean tonight."

Brooke just laughed as she turned to Peyton, "Are you kidding? I'm not your baby-sitter Peyton Sawyer. I'm not tagging along your date!"

"And if Sean had a cute friend?" asked Haley teasingly.

"Then I'm not interested...for now," Brooke answered defensively as she poured herself a glass orange juice.

Haley and Peyton just laughed. "You won't survive this way, Brooke. I'm telling you!" Peyton remarked jokingly as she and Haley knowingly met each other's eyes.

There was a soft knock on the door. Jake wondered who could be dropping by his place at that time. It was very early in the morning and Jenny was still asleep. Jake thought he could shoot some hoops at the nearby basketball court before he would prepare Jenny's breakfast. Apparently, he would have to forego his morning plans. _"This couldn't be Nikki,"_ he thought to himself as he headed to the door.

As he opened the door, he was surprised to see Nikki's brother standing outside. "Hey man, can I come in?" asked Ethan softly as he took off his shades.

Jake nodded, "Sure man, I was just making breakfast. You hungry?"

Ethan smiled as he nodded, "Starving actually."

Jake smiled back, "Great, I make killer omelets!"

As Ethan walked around Jake's apartment, he saw a picture of his niece hanging on the wall, "Jenny up yet?"

"No, I'll wake her up in a little while. I think she needs to stay in bed a little longer since we got home pretty late last night," Jake answered as he headed to the kitchen.

Ethan understood what Jake meant and nodded. As he stepped into the kitchen, he settled by the breakfast nook. There was a moment of silence between the two men as Jake cracked some eggs for the omelet. "So, what you do you want in your omelet...mushrooms, cheese, tomatoes, onions?"

Ethan just laughed, "You're the omelet man! Just give me your special!"

Jake just laughed as well, "Alright, you got it!"

Suddenly, Ethan's face went serious, "So...how's Brooke?"

Jake continued to slice tomatoes as he answered, "She was quite miserable last night, man. I thought you guys were able to fix things before we left."

Ethan just let out a sigh, "I guess I screwed things up way too much...she thinks there's not much trust in our relationship."

Jake turned to him intently, "Well, I hate to be straightforward man but, is it true?"  
Ethan took a deep breath as he turned to Jake seriously, "I wish I could say no man...but I hate to admit, she's probably right."

Suddenly, Ethan stood up, leaving Jake puzzled. "Hey man, I hope I didn't..." started Jake as he thought Ethan got offended.

Ethan immediately turned to Jake and gave him a grateful smile, "No man, it's okay. It's not you."

Jake gave him a sly smile, "You going to her?"

Ethan laughed as he shook his head, "If I get the nerve to, I just might."

He left Jake's apartment and went straight to his car. Turning the key into ignition, he took a deep breath and drove off...

Lucas was just casually walking down the hallway. He needed a clear head. He had a very important game that night and he has to keep his focus. Nevertheless, there was one person he could not take off his mind. In fact, he found himself looking for her. _"Where could she be?"_ Lucas wondered as he continued to walk around.

Peyton was walking towards her classroom. All morning, one guy was on her mind. She just couldn't stop thinking about him. Her heart was also breaking for what she was about to do to him. She knew where she wanted to be that night...but she was also scared about following her heart. This kept her filled with anxiety from the moment she woke up. Suddenly, she saw a familiar face with a dirty blond hair whose sight of makes her melt. She found herself staring at him as he noticed her too. _"What to do now?"_ she asked herself as she bit her lip and continued to walk towards him.

Lucas' face visibly brightened up as he saw the girl that has always taken his breath away. He hurriedly approached her as she did him. "Hey!" he greeted with a warm smile.

Peyton smiled back, "Hey...so...thanks for calling me yesterday."

Lucas just nodded, "I just had to know if you were alright. I mean, Nikki's got a reputation to leave people...pretty shaken."

Peyton nodded as she laughed, "I bet we all know that now."

Lucas nodded back, "So I was wondering if you're still watching our game tonight. It would really mean a lot us...you know, Jake, Nate...me."

Peyton's heart was melting at this point. With an apologetic smile, she took a deep breath, "Actually Luke...I can't coz..."

"Hey you two!" greeted Sean as he came up to Peyton and Lucas, interrupting Peyton in the process.

Peyton turned to look at Sean, "Um...hey Sean!"

Lucas forced a smile at Sean, "Hey man!"

Sean immediately faced Peyton intently, "So, are we on for tonight?"

Peyton didn't feel good about having Lucas standing there. Nevertheless, she was forced to answer Sean, "Um...yeah, sure. I'll see you at the THE CRIB tonight."

Sean smiled, "Great, see 'ya." Turning to Lucas, Sean gave him a smile too, "Hey good luck on that big game tonight man!" With this, Sean left Lucas and Peyton.

Peyton turned uneasily at Lucas, "I'm sorry...."

Lucas just gave her a sly smile, he obviously looked disappointed, "That's alright, you go have your date. I'll see you around." With that, he went on his way, leaving Peyton looking on.

"_She must be out by now,"_ Ethan thought as he drove up the girls' two-storey apartment. Nevertheless, he stepped out of the car and stood outside for awhile.

He suddenly walked towards the front door and left something. A sad smile appeared on his face as he turned to leave. "I love you, I hope you know," he muttered as he took one long look to where Brooke stays and drove off in his car...

Haley hurriedly walked to class. Five more minutes and she's 'gonna be late. She really didn't want to get into trouble especially if a grouchy professor were involved. As she approached her classroom, she was surprised to find a familiar tall figure standing by the door. There was Nathan, tossing a basketball up and down as he leaned by the wall, looking quite anxious. "Nathan? What are you doing here?" asked Haley as she came up to him.

At first, Nathan was startled. It didn't take long, however, before he regained himself and smiled at Haley. "Um...hey Hales, I just wanted to remind you about our game tonight....you watching?" he asked nervously while hoping that she'd say yes.

Haley suddenly took a deep breath and looked intently at Nathan, "Do you think things will change between us if I do?"

Nathan let out heavy sigh as he looked at her with a sad expression on his face, "I guess this is how we're always going to be, huh? Haley, don't you ever 'wanna give me another chance? I don't know how you grew up exactly...maybe you never made a mistake your whole life...so, you just think that there's no such thing as a second chance. Still, here I am...begging you for one...tell me, don't you love me anymore?"

Haley looked at him with a sudden hurt expression on her face, "Tell me Nathan, don't you love basketball more?" With that, she left him standing outside the classroom.

Brooke was just strolling around the hallway when she heard someone calling her. "Hey Brooke," Jake called out as he tried to catch up with her.

Brooke turned around and stopped when she saw that it was Jake. She maybe feeling pretty miserable but nevertheless, she gave Jake a warm smile, "Hey dad of the year! What's up?"

Jake just laughed at the comment, "Well, I was hoping you'd watch the game tonight...see, Jenny doesn't have anyone to hang out with while I play so..."

"Yes Jake, I would love to play with your adorable little girl. You're lucky Jenny's cute. Otherwise, I would have easily refused and booked myself to a 3-hour spa treatment. My miserable self could really use it right now, you know?" Brooke said as she smiled at him in a playfully haughty way.

Jake just laughed, "Well...looks like you're 'gonna have to settle for a 4-year old kid and a very interesting basketball game tonight to take you out of your misery."

Brooke just laughed, "Not really...I also got you!" Without warning, Brooke suddenly leaned over and gave Jake a long, passionate kiss.

As Brooke pulled away and giggled, Jake was just left in shock. "So...I...I guess...we'll stop by your place later and we'll go to the game...together," said Jake as he found himself stammering on his words.

Brooke smiled sweetly as she nodded, "Yeah...later." With that, she walked off, leaving Jake stunned.


	21. Down to You

Chapter 21: Down to You

They were 30 minutes away from the game. Lucas was putting on his jersey when Nathan walked in their changing room. He was looking quite upset. "Hey man," Nathan greeted as he stepped beside Lucas.

Lucas looked up and saw his brother, "Hey, I was starting to think you wouldn't show up. Where you been?"

Nathan just shrugs, "I went for a run...tried to take something off my head."

"You mean someone," remarked Lucas as he looked intently at his younger brother.

Nathan gave him a sly smile as he nodded, "Yeah...thanks for rubbing it in by the way."

Lucas laughed, "C'mon man, you're not the only one feeling quite miserable here."

"She's not coming?" asked Nathan as he realized what his brother meant.

Lucas just shook his head sadly, "She's got a date with Sean tonight."

Nathan just nodded as he gave his brother a pat on the back, "Well, miserable or not, we 'gotta big game to play."

Lucas nodded with a sly smile, "Yeah...let's do it." With that, the two joined their teammates.

Brooke sat by her doorstep as she clutched a piece of long-stemmed red rose tightly in her hand. Tears were running down her eyes as she looked out into the empty road. She had been crying for awhile now. Fact is, she had been crying since she returned to their 2-storey apartment and found a rose by the door. It was also attached to a card. The envelope read "Brooke" and just looking at the handwriting, she knew who it came from. She took a deep breath as she opened the card again...

Dear Brooke,

I'm sorry for not trusting you. I'm sorry for not listening to you. I'm sorry for making you upset. But most of all, I'm sorry that I've lost you. My sight is getting blurry as I write these words down. I guess all the pain that I've caused you...I'm feeling them all too. This morning, I thought I'd drop by and see you. However, I just felt like I couldn't...I felt so ashamed of what I have done.

I know you hate me, but please believe me when I say that I love you. I love you very much, Brooke. God knows, if I can undo what happened these past few days, I would. You say there was not much trust in our relationship...in my part, maybe that's true. But I know that all this time, you had complete trust in me and that made me feel all the more like a jerk. So now, I decided to do the right thing by following your advice. I'm going back home and try to figure some things out. I wish I can ask you to wait for me but that would be unfair. I guess all I can really say for now is good-bye...I'll always be thinking of you, Brooke. I love you forever.

Ethan

Brooke let out a soft cry as she folded the card carefully and slid it back to the envelope. "He left me," she whispered as she rocked herself gently. She stared out into an empty space as tears continued to fall down her cheeks.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps walking towards her. As she looked up, she saw a familiar face looking at her with concern. "Brooke, are you alright?" asked Jake worriedly as he stood in front of Brooke.

Brooke shook her head as she continued to cry. Giving her a sly smile, Jake leaned down and gave her a hug. "It's 'gonna be alright," he said as she continued to sob.

"Jake, Ethan left me," said Brooke softly.

Jake looked at his friend sympathetically, "Maybe...he'll come back, Brooke."

Brooke shook her head as tears continued to fall from her face, "I don't think so...I don't know..."

Jake just hugged her, "You know, Jenny can take your mind off this...at least for awhile. So, what do you say?"

Brooke just gave him a sly smile as she nodded. Together, they walked towards Jake's car where Jenny was waiting.

Peyton didn't feel like stopping by the apartment before she headed to THE CRIB. She thought she'd just head straight over there, hoping Sean wouldn't be around yet so she'll have some time for herself. She could use some time alone after all. As she placed a small notebook into her bag, a folded piece of paper fell out of it. Peyton unfolded the paper quickly and sighed when she realized what was in it. Suddenly, she found herself slipping the paper into her pocket. With that, she was set for her date.

As she made her way out, the gym's door opened. She was surprised to see Lucas stepping out. "Lucas? What are doing? Aren't you playing in a couple of minutes?" she asked curiously.

Lucas just gave her a sly smile, "Yeah...we'll be on in awhile. I just had to get something."

Peyton just nodded uneasily as she smiled at him, "Um...so, good luck!"

Lucas found himself laughing as he watched her, "Yeah, you too...on your date I mean."

Peyton lets out a chuckle, "Thanks...hey, maybe I can catch another big game of yours another time."

Lucas nodded, "Yeah sure...well, I 'gotta go."

Peyton nodded understandingly, "Yeah...I guess so...well, I guess I 'gotta head out too. See you around."

Lucas just smiled at her, "Yeah, see you Peyton." With that, he took off. Meanwhile, Peyton looked on as she let out a heavy sigh.

As Jake parked his car at the school parking lot, he turned to look at Brooke with a concerned expression on his face, "Hey, you 'gonna be alright?"

Brooke nodded as she gave him a sly smile, "A bit miserable...but alright."

Jake smiled warmly at her, "I bet Jenny can take your blues away."

Jenny's face brightened up upon hearing her name, "Yeah Auntie Brooke...we're 'gonna have so much fun...watching daddy run around."

Jake suddenly turned to his daughter curiously, "What happened to shooting around?"

Jenny gave her dad a sly smile, "You don't shoot daddy, you just run!"

Brooke suddenly burst into laughter, "Alright, let's go before I end up reporting the father-daughter argument of the century."

Jake was glad to see that Brooke's mood had somehow brightened up. As they walked into the gym, Jake kissed his daughter good-bye. Turning to Brooke, he gave her a grateful smile, "Thank you, Brooke."

Brooke just nodded, "Hey, no problem. Now, you go out there around."

Jake just laughed as he waved at them and joined his teammates.

"Oh, this is the life!" Haley remarked to herself as she took a sip from her steaming cup of hot chocolate. When she didn't find Brooke in the apartment, she decided to just hang-out in the lovely café nearby. She was able to find a quiet little corner. With a new novel in hand, she thought she'd do some reading over a delicious cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and a huge stack of waffles.

"Here's your blueberry waffles with chocolate syrup on the side," said an old man as he settled a plate of golden brown waffles in front of Haley

Haley smiled at the man gratefully, "Thank you, this looks delicious."

The man gave Haley a warm smile, "I know you'll like it. I've been making those blueberry waffles for years and I am yet to hear a complaint about it."

"Well if I do complain, it would be because I want more!" Haley replied as she laughed.

Suddenly, something in the television caught her attention. It was on mute but she didn't have to hear anything to know who was being focused on by the camera. There they were, Nathan Scott and Lucas Scott having a little discussion before the tip-off. A reporter approached them as they grinned and knocked fists. Haley turned to the waiter who was still standing nearby, "Can you please turn that up?"

The old man nodded as he grabbed the remote control and they both watched. "We are here in the Anne Dale University gym where the Anne Dale Warriors are preparing to go up against the Vermont Bulldogs. We are currently joined by Raven's former star players Nathan Scott and Lucas Scott who are now both part of the unbeatable Anne Dale team," said the reporter as he grinned at the camera.

Lucas and Nathan both gave a sly smile as the camera focused on them. "Lucas, how does it feel to be playing with your brother once again?" asked the reporter as he moved the microphone over to Lucas.

Lucas chuckles, "It's hell...no, I'm just kidding. It's really great that I get to play with him again. He's a great player and there's no one else I would want to play with."

The reporter then turns the microphone over to Nathan, "And what do you have to say about that Nathan?"

Nathan gives his brother a playful punch on the arm, "Just happy to have Luke with me so I can kick his ass once in awhile...nah, he's one of the greatest players I know and it feels good to have my brother around."

"Well, good luck on the game today and hope Anne Dale U feels like a home to you!" said the reporter as he smiled at them to end the interview.

The old man suddenly let out a sigh, "Damn, those Scott brothers sure have the world at their feet. I bet they got everything they want and more!"

Haley just gave him a sly smile, "Yeah...they do, don't they..." Without warning, scenes from her past start flooding into Haley's mind, particularly times when Nathan and her were together. She remembered the things they have done, the troubles they have gotten themselves into and the intimate moments the two of them have shared. Then, she remembered that painful moment they had inside his car. "You said basketball means a lot to you...you said you 'wanna concentrate on that..." she muttered as she continued to watch him on the screen. At the same time, she felt tears start welling up her eyes.

It was the final quarter. Down by a point with ten seconds left, the Anne Dale Warriors were determined to win the game especially that they have possession of the ball. "Alright boys, let's win this one!" shouted the coach as they resumed the game.

Lucas and Nathan knocked fists as they ran to the court together. "Let's get this over with!" remarked Nathan as he continued to make his way towards the court.

Lucas just laughed, "Yeah...let's do it with a win!"

Nathan smiled at his brother, "I just keep thinking about her, you know? I wish she was here..."

Lucas nodded as he gave his brother a sly smile, "Hey...I know how you feel man."

After awhile the final seconds of the game was underway. Lucas found the ball in his hands when one of his teammates passed it to him. Immediately, he got double-teamed. He turned to look at his brother who was looking intently back at him. _"It's your call, man,"_ Nathan said to his brother in his mind. He was well aware that he himself was being closely guarded, but he knew he can still make a neat lay-up.

Suddenly, Lucas threw the ball over to him. Without wasting any time, he leaped to the basket for a lay-up just as the buzzer sounded. As he landed on the floor, he felt his schoolmates erupt in joy. He glanced at the scoreboard and realized that they had won. Lucas immediately ran over to him and helped him up. They knocked fists as they grinned at each other. "You did it man!" exclaimed Lucas at Nathan.

Nathan just grinned back at him, "Nah...we did it. Thanks for the pass."

Back in lockers, both Lucas and Nathan were getting pats on the back from their older teammates. Coach Fowler was grinning at both of them, "Well, you two sure have showed me what great players you are. I just hope to see more of this, this school year."

Lucas nodded as he smiled, "Don't worry coach, this won't be the only time."

Nathan grinned, "Yeah coach...we'll make you proud."

Coach Fowler nodded as he smiled proudly at both of them, "Well, we 'gotta a little celebration at a local pool house tonight. C'mon, we won...we got what we want, it's time to celebrate!"

Nathan turned to his brother and gave him a knowing look. Then, he turned to his coach with a grateful smile, "Well...there's something else that we want coach...and we 'gotta go after it."

Lucas grinned as he turned to Coach Fowler, "Yeah coach...we might miss our chance if we don't."

Coach Fowler smiled at Lucas and Nathan as he understood what they meant. He let out a sigh, "All my life, I've always told my players that basketball is just a game...but it's only now that I found players who understand what I mean. I'm proud of you two." He knocked fists with both before he headed to his office.

"Hey, any chance you guys would be joining me, Jenny and Brooke. We're taking Jenny to this fair. It's a little carnival...it's cute and romantic," said Jake as came up to Lucas and Nathan.

"That depends on how the night turns out man," said Nathan as he smiled at his friend.

"We'll see man," answered Lucas as he knocked fists with Jake. Jake just nodded with a smile as he left, "Well, see you around!"

Peyton's favorite hang-out was more crowded that night than usual. Just like in Karen's Café, THE CRIB also had an open mic night. Peyton smiled as she remembered the time when she helped Haley with the ads. "_Seems like yesterday..."_she thought as she scanned the crowd while remembering Karen's own open mic night.

Suddenly, she heard someone making an announcement, "The Warriors won!" exclaimed a man loudly to everyone in the club. Roars of applause immediately followed and Peyton just smiled to herself. She grabbed a beer and settled into her favorite place. "_Looks like his night is going well,"_ she thought as she took a sip from her beer.

All of a sudden, someone whispers from behind her, "Hey, you're looking pretty hot tonight. Aren't you supposed to be my date?"

As Peyton turned around, she grinned upon seeing Sean who looked admiringly at her, "Depends...if you sing good."

Sean nodded as he played along, "Wait till I get on that stage, I'm 'gonna sweep you off your feet."

Peyton just laughed as she watched Sean and the rest of the group make their way to the stage. _"There's only one guy who can sweep me off my feet and he's not here, "_she thought sadly. Still determined to have a good time that night, she turned to Sean's group as they took hold of the stage.

After a couple of songs, Sean and his friends stepped off stage after receiving an appreciative applause from the crowd. Peyton hurriedly went near the stage to meet Sean as he stepped down. "You were great!" remarked Peyton as she gave Sean a playful punch on the arm.

Sean just grinned at her, "That's coz' you were here!"

As he opened the door, Lucas felt like he had just stepped into a completely different world. _"Damn, this place is packed!"_ he remarked to himself as he entered THE CRIB. He tried to make his way towards the bar, hoping that she'd be there, getting herself a drink or something. However, it was just impossible to go anywhere. "What was I thinking?" he muttered as he realized how hard it would be for him to find her. Lucas let out a sigh as he made his way back to the door.

Standing by the steps, which leads to the stage allowed Peyton to see just about everyone in her favorite spot that night. Particularly, she caught sight of the dirty blond guy who had just entered. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she realized who it was. Her heart sank, however, when she saw him making his way out. At that point, she knew she had to do something...

Peyton suddenly went to the stage and held the microphone. "Uh...hi," she began. Immediately, everyone turned to look at her. Lucas recognized the voice and turned around. His face lit up when he saw her. She was looking more beautiful than ever as she captured the attention of everyone there.

Peyton bit her lip as she gave the crowd a sly smile before she continued, "I'll be honest, I can't sing...and I have no intention to..." She took a deep breath before she continued, "But, there is something that I would like to read to everyone tonight..." Mustering all her courage, she turned towards Lucas who immediately met her eyes, "It's actually a poem...I didn't write it...but, it's a poem that has captured exactly how I feel about someone." At this point, Peyton's eyes were focused on Lucas who simply kept his eyes on her. He looked quite surprised, not aware of what Peyton was up to. Peyton took out a piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. Taking a deep breath, she began, "Here it goes...."

How Do I Love Thee?

By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace,

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, -I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life!- and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death...

For a moment, the crowd stood still. After awhile, however, they broke into a loud applause, some even cheered her on. Peyton smiled gratefully at the crowd. Immediately, she frantically searched the room with her eyes. All of a sudden, Lucas disappeared from where he was standing awhile ago. _"I guess I have just made a big fool of myself," _Peyton thought as she began to think that Lucas had already left.

"Looking for someone?" asked a familiar husky voice from the front of the stage. As Peyton looked down, her eyes lit up as she saw Lucas grinning crazily at her. Without a second thought, she jumped into Lucas arms that were openly held out to her. As Lucas settled her down, Peyton wrapped her arms around his neck. They both looked into each other's eyes while everyone else watched them.

Finally, Lucas broke the silence. He let out a soft chuckle, "I didn't think you'd do that."

Peyton grinned at her as she nodded, "Me neither...but when I saw you about to leave, I knew I had to take the chance."

Lucas just smiled, "Well, it worked." Peyton just smiled as she leaned over to give him a long passionate kiss. The crowd's applause grew louder as they watched them.

Keeping his arms around Peyton's waist, Lucas looked intently at Peyton, "You know...if I were Mr. Jennings, I would have given you a GPA of 4.0 for that."

Peyton just laughed, "If you were Mr. Jennings, I wouldn't have kissed you."

Lucas laughed, "Guess, I'm lucky I'm not the professor." With that, he leaned over to give Peyton another long and passionate kiss.

"Daddy!" squealed Jenny as she ran towards Jake who had just come out of the locker room.

"Hey sweetie, have you been a good girl while daddy was playing?" asked Jake as he took his 4-year old daughter in his arms.

Jenny nodded, "Yep, you can even ask Aunt Brooke."

Brooke just smiled as she watched Jake and Jenny. "You two are the cutest father-daughter pair I've ever seen...just don't tell Peyton I told you that," she remarked as she approached them.

Jake smiled at Brooke as he put Jenny down. "You go play with daddy's ball for awhile, okay?" he told his daughter who simply nodded and ran along.

Jake stepped beside Brooke. "Great game, congratulations!" said Brooke as he came near.

Jake just smiled, "Thanks..." Suddenly, his face turned serious. Brooke knew her and Jake had some issues to clear out. "So...about yesterday..." said Jake uneasily as he began.

"No...Jake, I'm so sorry for that impulsive thing that I did yesterday...it's just that..."Brooke said as she cut Jake off and tried to explain.

However, Jake cut her off this time, "It's okay Brooke, I understand. I know it's a really tough time for you now. I hope you'd still be going out with us tonight though. Jenny really loves you and we both would love it if you'd join us tonight."

Brooke smiled at him gratefully as she nodded, "Sure, I'd love to."

"Great!" Jake remarked as he reached out to give Brooke a hug. Together, they walked toward Jenny and headed out for some fun.

After awhile, Haley decided to leave the café and go back to the apartment. She was feeling quite tired and simply wanted to go to bed. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks when she saw a familiar figure sitting by the apartment's doorway. As she came nearer, she saw Nathan waiting for her. "Hey, shouldn't you be in a victory party or something?" asked Haley as she came near.

Nathan just smiled, "I decided not to join them..."

"And you'd rather mope around by my front door?" she asked jokingly as she grinned at him.

Nathan laughed, "Yeah...mope around by your front door until you get back."

Haley suddenly let out heavy sigh, "Why do you this Nathan?"

"Do what?" Nathan asked as he stood up and looked intently at Haley.

"This...trying to get things back the way they were when you were the one who broke up with me!" Haley exclaimed as she started to sound hurt.

Nathan let out a heavy sigh, "Haley...I've already told you...I'm incredibly sorry for what I did. It was the worst decision I have ever made and I admit that...I just hope you'd still give me another chance."

Haley glared at him, "How can you even ask for another chance just like that? What about basketball, Nathan? What's 'gonna happen to your basketball career? Didn't you say that being a bachelor in the draft would make you increase your market value? What's 'gonna happen now? We become a couple for awhile and then you break up with me again during our final year in college!"

At that point, Nathan was starting to get frustrated, "Haley, that's not what I meant...that's not what I want!"

Haley voice suddenly grew louder, "Then what do you want, Nathan....huh, what do you want?"

Nathan looked at her with intent eyes, "This." Without warning, Nathan suddenly pulled Haley close to him and gave her a passionate kiss. Haley was just stunned as they pulled away from each other afterwards. Nathan gave him a sly smile, "I want that, Haley. I want you."

Haley was still in awe as she spoke up, "How do you know that? Are you sure about that now? I saw you on television while you were playing and I could have sworn...you looked like you had everything you want, maybe even more."

Nathan took Haley's hands in his, "I looked like that awhile ago because in my mind, I was imagining that you were watching me...smiling and cheering me on especially when I made that winning shot..." He took a deep breath before he continued, "Everything that I've become Haley, I've become because of you. I've heard people say that behind every man is a woman. But it was only when I met you that I realized that, that saying is actually true. I love you, Haley James...and if I have to camp out here all night just for you to believe me and give us another chance, I will."

Suddenly, what Nathan's been hoping for all night happened. Haley finally broke into a smile, "You don't have to...you can camp out in my living room and cook me and the girls breakfast tomorrow morning."

Nathan just laughed, "Would you finally forgive me if I do that?"

Haley giggled, "On second thought, you don't know how to cook..." She suddenly moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Maybe another kiss will do the trick."

Nathan smiled as he leaned over to give Haley another long passionate kiss. After the kiss, Nathan looked at Haley intently, "I'll be a better boyfriend, I promise."

Haley nodded, "I know...and I love you too." They wrapped themselves into each other's arms even tighter and shared yet another long passionate kiss...

_A/N: This concludes my second fic, "This Time Around." I sure hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I would like to give my biggest thank you's to tardychick06, barbra, DragonBLOOD87, leytonforlife, lysser8312, lysa3oc, softballbabe12, amateur-writer, HaleynNathan23, OTHlover04, othlov3r23, keke8148, OTH-charm, evcrules, OneTreeHillCharmedFreak, Marry Royalty and soapter. Your encouragement has helped me reach the final chapter of this story. I especially like to thank cuteandhugs, my dear sister, who's always found time to read my stories. I just 'wanna let everyone know that plans for a sequel are already underway and I hope you'll all like it just as much! Thank you so much again! )_


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